Left For Dead Inuyasha Crossover
by Trakrat
Summary: Kagome and Inuyasha go back to her era, only to find it in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. All of her friends and family are gone.... Our survivors meet each other, but what happens when one particularity mad hanyou and a scared miko crash into them?
1. Chapter 1

_**YAY!!!**_

_**CROSSOVER TIME!!!!**_

_**BTW, I CHANGED MY PEN-NAME, I USED TO BE KDEC!  
**_

_**

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**_"-and the virus seems to be creating a weird condition; like rabies in fact. I assure the people of America that our top medical experts and scientists are working on it, but the-" the tan, lanky reporter was cut off by yet another blackout.

The young college student sighed and groaned, flopping herself across her bed. She looked over at her alarm clock. It read 10:48 at night. Her roommate was out at a party at the Zeta Delta Iota frat house. The girl then decided that she would go. She changed into a red hoodie and a pair of jeans. She put her hair up and put on a pair of running shoes. She walked over to the small window and peeled back the thin orange and green curtains. Off in the distance, a large fire was blazing, and screams were heard. As she looked over to the frat house it blew up into the dark sky, sending bodies, wood and concrete everywhere. A long tongue-like thing was pulling kids away into the woods. She watched as a man in a dark hoodie jumped on a kid and started ripping him apart, literally. She screamed and ducked into the closet. Inside was a small pistol and a bag of ammunition.

* * *

The Vietnam veteran sighed and leaned back into his favorite chair with a cigarette in his mouth. He flicked the television on, hoping to hear more about the virus going around. One of his neighbors had in fact been taken to quarantine, proving positive for a very strong stream of the disease. He himself had been found clean, and possibly immune.

"-and the virus seems to be creating a weird condition; like rabies in fact. I assure the people of America that our top medical experts and scientists are working on it, but the-" the weird reporter was cut off by a blackout. He heard a roaring in the distance, and the sound sent a chill through his body. He ran over to his door and wrenched it open. As he did, a** _car_** flew past his porch. He swore, louder this time and frantically watched people running toward town. He looked in the direction they were running from. Massive fires and destruction had engulfed the nearby town of Riverside. On the street was a man. At least, he prayed it was a man. The man was huge, maybe 8 feet tall at least. He was obviously on steroids, his arms were thicker as tree trunks! He was wearing nothing but a ripped pair of shorts, and was running around and acting like an ape. As he looked at the creature, it bellowed and ran towards his house, knocking cars out of the way to do so. The old man swore violently and ran in his house to grab his automatic shotgun.

* * *

The young man dropped his briefcase onto his dining room table and sighed. He had just graduated a year ago, and his job was hard! He didn't want to work at this job forever! He wasn't even at a position that required a college degree!! His boss was a 19 year old kid; fresh outta high school! He hated it so much, and he was looking for a new job behind the company's back. He groaned again and got a cup of coffee.

"-and the virus seems to be creating a weird condition; like rabies in fact. I assure the people of America that our top medical experts and scientists are working on it, but the-" the television flickered with a pop as the power went out again. The man sighed, holding his head. Today was just not his day. A scream ripped him from his depressed state. He ran to the door of his small apartment. A woman was at the end of his hallway, sitting on the floor, sobbing. Her clothes were in tatters, and her skin was the same pale shade as her clothes. Her hair hung in wet strands around her face, and she ( and the nearby area) was covered in blood. As he approached, she growled and sat up. He gulped as he noticed her eyes, her blazing, burning red eyes. He ran into his apartment and barricaded the door with his table and armchair. He ran into his bedroom and pulled a small machine gun out from under his bed. He just finished loading it as the woman hysterically broke the door down.

* * *

The biker was thrown from the bar, hitting the wall of the nearby building. The men laughed and walked out of the alley, slamming the door of the bar behind them. He picked himself up and walked around the corner to get his bike. The door of the bar was opened as a couple were leaving, and they held the door open to listen to the newscast.

"-and the virus seems to be creating a weird condition; like rabies in fact. I assure the people of America that our top medical experts and scientists are working on it, but the-" The sound was cut off as the city plunged into darkness. The entire city of Riverside was black. He swore and quietly pulled out a pair of pistols. He heard a grunting noise from nearby, just up the street. Whatever it was, the noise was making him feel sick. It sounded like someone either had really bad indigestion, or was throwing up. The person came into view. They were extremely obese, and had oozing sores covering their body. The man looked at him and...

And threw up on him.

The biker yelled out in disgust and shot the man. It's top half exploded, leaving a pair of legs laying on the street. The man swore as he heard a loud mob of people cry out.

* * *

"Inuyasha... SIT BOY!" the priestess yelled.

"AHH!!" the half demon cried out as he slammed face-first into the dirt.

"What was that for?!" he screamed angrily, but the only things that could understand would be the worms.

"Inuyasha, I have to go back home for a few days. Miroku needs the medicine, or else he'll just get sicker! And Sango needs new clothes." she explained slowly, as if talking to a 5 year old.

"Well, we got on fine without all of your fancy futuristic medicines until now, so he'll be fine!" the young man grunted, brushing dirt off of his haori.

"Well fine. Then I'll go home and not come back." she shrugged, knowing that the half demon would never let that happen.

Kagome jumped through the well; transporting her back to her era.

"Mom, I'm home!" she called as the well-house glowed blue, announcing one sulking hanyou's arrival.

"Kagome, did you really mean that?" he asked cautiously, trying to not upset her.

"No, I- What the?" she froze in place after opening the door to the rest of the property.

The city was in ruins. Blood and gore covered the ground, and fires burned mercilessly in the distance. Inuyasha wrinkled his nose and covered his face with his sleeve. Kagome sunk to her knees as she watched her home burn.

"Inuyasha..." he realized that she was crying. He bent down and put an arm around her shoulders. She turned and sobbed into his chest.

"What happened? Who could've done this?" she tried to speak, but she was so choked up. Inuyasha held her tight. He could see a green hat covered in blood not too far away. _'That's Souta's....'_ he realized with horror and felt tears come to his own eyes. Kagome's body was shaking so hard, and her sobs were so loud, he was afraid she might be having hysterics.

"Kagome, listen to me, alright?" he tried to sound firm and in control, but he was just as upset. She looked up at him, sniffling.

"We have to-" His comment was cut off by a screeching noise. He whipped his head around. The noise seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere. He heard a sound that he would never be able to forget; it turned his heart into ice: Kagome screaming for dear life. He turned to see a man in a dark hoodie on top of Kagome, ripping her clothes to shreds. He growled and his demonic blood screamed at him.

"Get OFF OF HER!!" he yelled and plunged his claws into his arm, covering them with blood.

The hooded punk kept slashing away at her until the red blades cut his head off. Kagome lay on the ground, trembling. He went to her side. Her clothes were in tatters and her body was covered in blood.

"Kagome.." he choked out and picked her up.

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_**SO?? any opinions? Ideas? Suggestions? comments? criticism? No flames!! **_

_**Take my poll!!!**_

_**Read my fictionpresses!!**_

_**I'll love it!!**_

_***huggs*  
**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_I'm pretty happy, I got a pretty good reply..._**

**_but not that great..._**

**_i own nothing!!

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_**"Inuyasha, I'm alright!" Kagome said. Inuyasha looked down to the girl in his arms.

"But Kagome, your covered in blood..."

"I know, but I'm alright..." She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. He took of his robe and draped it around her. She smiled gratefully, but then continued with her quiet sobs. Her voice was shaking so much, he could hardly understand what she was saying. He put his arm around her shoulders and held her. He peeked his head out of the well house. A few people were nearby. Two were fighting, a child and a woman, and another was walking into the wall of the house repeatedly, a man. The house was in ruins. Kagome was shaking against him. He picked up a stone and threw it. The three people chased after it violently. He swore and stepped back into the shadows of the well house. He knew who was out there, and he knew he only had two options.

"Kagome, we've gotta get outta here." He needed to piece together the right way to say this without hurting Kagome too badly.

"No, let's just go back!" she tried to drag him to the well. He grabbed her by the shoulders and stared at her until she looked him in the eyes. She flung her arms around him and sobbed into his chest. He held her close, dreading the decision he had reached.

* * *

Zoey emerged from the closet with a fully loaded pistol and a duffel bag of ammunition. She impatiently swept hair out of her face and went back over to the window. Most of the people were gone, but a few were just standing there. She soon realized that they were now in a zombie like state. She pointed her pistol-light at one of them, and it didn't even look at her. He just started hitting a woman nearby. She realized what had happened. She had heard how some of the victims in the UK had turned into zombies. Now, it had struck America.

* * *

Francis had just run out of ammo. Most of the zombies were gone now, but there were still a good amount. He swore and jumped on his bike. It started with a loud roar. More screams were heard in the distance. He swore again and killed the power, running into the bar. He used his hunting rifle to break down the door. The people inside looked horrified. The bartender tried to shoot Francis, but by the time he had his gun out, he was dead. The remaining patrons in the bar screamed and started to run, but then, the wave of infected ran in. He ran over to the bar and jumped over it, hiding behind it, looking for more ammo. He watched as one person killed a woman by ripping her apart, like a zombie.

* * *

Louis had managed to knock the woman out, but he couldn't bring himself to kill her. I mean, it was his neighbor, a young woman that he had been a little interested in. He finally closed his eyes and put the machine gun to her head as she started to stir. after a few rounds, she was still. He groaned and grabbed a pouch, filling it with rounds. He knew he had to leave. He ran out of his apartment building and ran through the deserted streets, looking for help.

* * *

Bill, along with the help of two neighbors, had managed to kill the Tank.

"Man, that thing just wouldn't die!!" The younger man, Stewart laughed, clapping his brother, Kris, on the back. The older man smiled. Bill reloaded his shotgun and started to speak to them, when a loud cry interrupted him. A man in a dark hoodie jumped on Kris, ripping him apart.

"No!" Stewart cried out, shooting the person, but it was too late, his brother was already dead. The Hunter turned and looked at the two frightened men, picking a target.

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_**Sorry the chapter was so short!!!! **_

_**Review!!!**_

_***huggs*  
**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Ok**_

_**Sorry for the long wait.. school's almost over, ALMOST!!!! **_

_**

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**_Zoey heard a faint growling behind her and automatically tensed. She had seen hundreds of zombies, but she'd never heard one growl like this one was...

A strange cry pierced the air. She flinched a little at the noise, but kept walking, faster now. She heard the cry again, this time, it was closer. She whipped around, only to see a man in a hoodie and dark jeans leap through the air and land on her. She felt his sharp nails rip into her chest, tearing at her. She screamed and hit him repeatedly, trying to knock him off of her.

"GET IT OFF!!! GET IT OFF ME!!!" she yelled, hoping that someone would hear her. She heard a few shots with a machine gun, and the person flew off of her. She stood up and reloaded quickly. She looked at her savior.

"Thanks. I'm Zoey." She shook his hand. He gave her a small smile and reloaded.

"I'm Louis. You alright? I can heal you up if you want..."

"I'm fine, really. It scared me more than it hurt me. Thank you though." He smiled at her and noticed her limping a little. He sighed at how stubborn she was and handed her a bottle of pills. She grinned at him, sending blood rushing through his cheeks. A loud alarm broke them from their reverie. Louis looked down to see that he had bumped into a car.

"Oh no..." Zoey whispered. They could hear the cries of the infected getting louder, and closer. She put her back to Louis' and reloaded. Louis pulled out a pipe bomb.

"Be careful." he whispered to her just before he threw the bomb.

"I got your back." She replied as the bomb let out it's first beep. The many infected turned to look at it. The second beep, the started running towards it. Louis held his gun in one hand, holding her other one. She leaned her head on his shoulder. They had both been alone for almost a week, and had seen no other...normal humans. They were craving human companionship. The third beep, more infected climbed the barricade that was supposed to keep them out effortlessly. The fourth beep, they heard a loud roar. He could feel her trembling against him. The roar sent a chill down his spine. They could see a large shadow heading towards them from the mouth of a nearby alley. A huge infected locked instantly on them and let out a loud roar of fury, rage, and desire. It wanted to feel their bones break beneath his strong hands. He wanted to hit them and send them flying into a building. He wanted to see their blood run and splash on the walls. They could see that it was already a little wounded. The beeps got faster and faster, until Tank stepped on the ground next to the bomb. It blew up in his face, sending him staggering back in shock. He roared louder and charged for the two. Louis, who still had Zoey's hand, flung her out of the way and started unloading rounds into the beast. It angrily swept him out of the way with the flick of his wrist and stomped for Zoey. She stood on the stairs of a bank, shooting her pistols as fast as she could. He raised his hand to smash her, when the crack of a hunting rifle pierced the air. The blast of an automatic shotgun followed almost instantaneously.

"Not another one! Aim for it's back, the spine!" a gravelly voice called out. The Tank turned and ran in the other direction. Zoey ran over to Louis, checked him over for serious wounds, then followed the man's advice.

* * *

"Kagome, listen to me," Inuyasha said after a while. It was dusk now, and he had given her time to calm down a little. He refused to let her go down the well yet, they needed the supplies now more than ever. Also, he needed to be sure that the others were alright.

"When I say go, I want you to run. Run as fast as you can. Run up to your room and barricade the door. If you see any people like that, shove them out of your way. Alright?"

"Inuyasha... ok." She nodded, her chocolate brown eyes locking onto his golden ones. He gave her a small smile and walked to the doorway of the well house. The final rays of the setting sun caressed his haori and shimmered in his hair. The sight took Kagome's breath away. He pulled out Tetsusaiga, preparing the Wind Scar.

_'Why can't I sense their demonic aura... they must not be demons.'_ He realized. He held the sword tighter and ran at the man as he turned to look at him. The area around his mouth was covered in blood. His clothes and teeth were smeared in blood, and his eyes were... gone. They were yellow, almost like with age. He looked insane. It made Inuyasha's skin crawl. He aimed carefully as the man tried to attack him, and cut off his head. He did the same to the others nearby, quicker though.

"NOW KAGOME!" He heard a loud roar from nearby. He watched as Kagome ran out of the well house just as it collapsed. A Tank ran out, locking on Inuyasha. He knew that this one was going to be hard to beat alone.

"KAGOME, RUN!!!!!!!!!" he bellowed as the creature got closer to him. He heard Kagome's screams. Just as the Tank went to slam him into the house, he dove up and sliced his back open with the sword. It screamed and took off down the stairs into the city. He ran to Kagome, who was pressed up against the house, breathing heavily.

"Is it dead?" she gasped, clinging onto his haori. He lead her into the house, up into her room, picked up her dresser, and barricaded the door. She sat on the bed, trying to catch her breath.

"No, but it'll be back. We'll see more of them." He sat down next to the shaking girl. She looked at him.

"What happened?"

"I don't know Kagome... I just don't know."

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**Alright, I need 3 reviews before i update. **

**That's my rule. **

**I hope you liked this chapter, I do. **

**They'll meet up soon**

***huggs* :D  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**I've been on vacation, so I haven't been able to update! Sorry :D**

**Poll's closed... and i have a good idea... hehehehe....

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**As soon as the Tank was dead, Zoey dropped her weapons and flopped to the ground, laughing.

"It's dead... we killed that thing!" She laughed and stood back up again. She looked at the two men who had come and saved her and Louis. The one man was obviously older, maybe 60 or 70. He looked at her and Louis and nodded curtly. They smiled and said hi quietly, but he was focused on reloading his auto shotgun.

The other man was around their age, maybe a little older. He had a hunting rifle that Zoey was eying with envy. He grinned at Zoey and clapped Louis on the back.

"I'm Francis. The old fart is Bill." Bill scowled at Francis.

"My name is Zoey, and this is Louis."

"Hey. Where you guys headed?"

"I'm not sure."

"We're going to Liberty City; there's a massive collection of immune people and they're having a massive military evac." Bill said, leaning against a railing, smoking.

"Can we come with you?" Louis asked, almost desperately. Bill gave him a small smile.

"Sure thing kid. You guys ready?" They stood up and we about to start walking when they heard rapid footsteps. The guys all whipped out their guns, but Zoey raised her hand to stop them.

"If it's an Infected, it's only one, and it's fast... too fast... it's not an Infected." Still, the guys stood back to bakc with each other and waited.

Inuyasha came around the corner with Kagome on his back. They saw the group of four and he skidded to a halt, both of them staring. Kagome saw their guns and froze.

"Hi. My name's Zoey. This is Louis, Francis, and Bill. Who are you?" Zoey said, pointing out each member of the group. Kagome lowered herself from Inuyasha's back and slowly walked up to Zeoy.

"Ms. Stagling? Is that really you?" Kagome asked, her voice hopeful. Zoey eyes widened as she slowly recognized the girl.

"Kagome?" She hugged the girl, laughing. The others were utterly confused.

"She a student teacher at my school for a while. She taught an Ancient Legends and Myths class for extra credit." Kagome gave Inuyasha a meaningful look as she said that.

"I heard you were sick, so I figured you had already fallen to the disease!" She hugged Kagome and there was an awkward silence.

"Every awkward silence a gay baby is born!" Francis yelled on the top of his lungs. Everyone turned to stare at him in deep shock. Everyone burst out laughing hysterically, except for Inuyasha.

"So Kagome, who is this fellow over here?" Kagome looked at Inuyasha and sighed.

"Ms. Stagling? Do you remember the legend of the Shikkon Jewel?" Her teacher nodded and recited the short story.

"The Jewel was created hundreds of years ago a very powerful miko. The jewel has incredible power, and should be kept in the hands of a powerful priestess to stay pure. The Jewel was the cause of many deaths in the Feudal Era. One demon, Naraku, sought the jewel for his own evil purposes. A group of people, led by the half-demon Inuyasha, sought to purify the jewel and destroy Naraku. Nobody knows what ever happened. Why?"

"This is Inuyasha. The legend is true." Kagome went into the explanation, which lasted maybe a full 7 minutes. After she was done, everyone was staring at her in wonder.

"GAY BABY!" Francis yelled again, but Bill hit him with the butt of his gun.

"SHUT UP!" Everyone yelled. Inuyasha was nervously gripping the hilt of Tetsusaiga.

"We can't get back, and if we can, we want to take you guys with us. But, if you aren't immune, then you might destroy the past..."

"We've all been bitten. Nothing."

"Us too." Inuyasha nodded. The group looked at each other and nodded.

"You guys need weapons?" Inuyasha smirked and pulled out Tetsusiaga. It transformed and gleamed in the moonlight. Louis took a step back and Zoey laughed.

"Is this a real sword?" He raised an eyebrow and sent the Wind Scar into a nearby building. It collasped into itself and a few Infected ran out, yelling. They were easily picked off with the guns.

"Ok... what about you kiddo?" Bill asked kindly. "We don't want you killing these things, but you might have to..."

"I think I'll be alright..." She shot a sacred arrow into the head of a smoker on the top of a building a quarter of a mile away. Everyone looked at her in wonder and awe. Francis slapped her a quick high 5.

"Alright, you guys ready to move?" Louis asked. Every one nodded and started walking slowly towards the center of the city.

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**I'm sorry it's so short, but i've been up since 3 in the morning, after 4 hours of sleep, and it's almost 9 now. I'm not sure if i can make it any longer! Reviews make me happy!!! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Ok, last chapter i said i had a good idea. **

**I forgot it, but got a new one!!!! a better one!! **

**i ran 11 miles today.**

**my legs hurt.**

* * *

It was nighttime. The group had taken refuge in a safe room. Everyone was asleep except for Bill and Inuyasha. Being paranoid, they decided to stay up and watch guard. Louis and Francis were scheduled to take over in a few hours. Zoey and Kagome had just come off their shift and were just falling asleep. They were in a large room in a lighthouse on the coast of a large lake. On the other side, they could see the lights of Troy, which wasn't too far away from Liberty City. Zoey was asleep in a blue recliner, Francis was on a small loveseat, Louis was in a sleeping bag, and after she turned down everythign else, Kagome was on the floor. She was curled up next to Inuyasha, his fire-rat robe covering her. Inuyasha stared down at the young miko, thinking about what had happened that day. He gently wiped a small drip of blood from her cheek and breathed heavily.

"Umm...Bill?" He asked carefully, trying not to wake the others. The war veteran looked at him.

"What happened? Why did all of this happen? Isn't there anything that we can do to change it?" He asked desperately. If there was anything that they could do in the Feudal Era, or anything that they could tell their children to do in the future, maybe this could all be prevented...

"It was a virus. A scientist in by the name of David Irving Rector said that he'd created a vaccine. According to him, it'd add 35 years to your life. At first, nobody wanted it. Then, some people got it, they even forced the children to get it in their schools. They'd call them down, give them a normal test, like testing their hearing, and give them it. They refused to let them leave unless they got the vaccine. Nobody knew that it was made from brain cells of cadavers though."

"Cadavers?"

"Dead people." Inuyasha shuddered and tightened his grip on Tetsusaiga.

"People started getting sick from the vaccine and dying. They feared that everyone who got it would die, and _Dr._ Rector mysteriously vanished. Some say he died from his own creation. If so, good riddance. According to WHO, only 2% of the world's population has a definite immunity to the virus, and as many as 5% has a partial immunity, or can withstand longer exposure. The rest of the world...well..." He trailed off, his cigarette winking on and off in the small room. He took it out and ground it into the concrete floor.

"I quit smoking 15 years ago, but as soon as all of this started... heh, well, nothing lasts forever I suppose."

"Where are all of these people?"

"Dead probably. They probably died trying to escape. We're so outnumbered. It's 3 hundred million or so to 6 billion. The odds aren't in our favor kid."

"Well, what are we gonna do?" He ran his claws idily through Kagome's hair, breathing in her scent. It calmed him a little, but not much. He still couldn't get rid of the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Off in the distance, they could hear a few Infected fighting. Inuyasha shuddered again.

* * *

"They've been gone a long time." Sango said thoughtfully that same night 500 years ago. She swatted Miroku's hand away and took another bite of fish.

"Yeah. I wonder what's taking them so long?" Shippo asked, curled into Kilala's fur, facing the fire.

"Aw Shippo, you still a little sick?" Sango asked in a motherly fashion. Shippo gave her a weak smile.

"Yeah, just a little." He sneezed violently, causing Kilala in her larger form to jump. Miroku stood up and placed a few more logs in the fire. It blazed larger and engulfed the young kitsune in warmth.

"Nice job Miroku, now Shippo's sick!" The demon slayer said, giving an extra fish to Kilala, who snapped it up happily. Miroku grinned sheepisly.

"I say tomorrow we start heading for the village, to see if they're back yet." The monk said, stretching his legs out, leaning up against a tree. Sango nodded and pulled her knees in to her chest, gazing into the depths of the fire.

_'Where are you guys?' _Miroku thought.

_'I hope you guys are all right.'_ Sango thought.

_'Ugh... my head... Kagome, hurry back with that medicine.' _Shippo thought in his congested head.

_'Yum... that was a good fish,'_ Kilala thought happily,_ 'I wonder why I got one so late tonight... Oh yeah, Inuyasha and Kagome are still gone...'_ Kilala whimpered and laid her head down sadly. The group fell asleep by the fire, filled with concern and worry for their friends.

* * *

Early that morning, the group up got a rude awakening.

"Guys, we should leave now." Louis said hurridly, shaking Kagome awake. Inuyasha stood up quickly, Kagome sitting up, Inuyasha's robe falling onto her legs in a crumpled heap.

"What's wrong no- Oh my God!" Kagome screamed. Hundreds of Infected were trying to break down the red steel door and get to the group. Francis crouched in the corner, covered in a green, viscous, liquid. Zoey yelled and hit him with her pistols.

"FRANCIS!!"

"Sorry, I had to use the toilet, and a Boomer jumped off of a rooftop, landed next to me and exploded!"

"So you come back in here?!" Bill clutched his weapon threateningly.

"Guys! GUYS!" Zoey yelled, stepping between the two men, putting onw hand on each of their chests, pushing them apart."We can't fight like this!" Bill sighed.

"She's right," there was a moment of silence as Inuyasha cut off the arm of an Infected trying to reach through the bars of the door. "I'm sorry Francis."

"Feh, whatever. This stuff smells!" He tried to brush it off. Bill walked away, getting more ammo and helping Inuyasha. Zoey realized with a faint blush that she still had her hand on Francis' chest.

"Sorry." She mumbled, her face bright red.

"Don't be." He said with a grin. He tossed Kagome and Inuyasha first aid kits and looked at the group as a whole. "Let's get going." They all nodded. Louis took the bar off of the door and opened it cautiously. They stepped into the faint daylight, listening. A loud roar shattered the silence.

"Oh no, not again!" Inuyasha yelled, jumping onto the roof of a nearby shed. He saw the Tank barreling towards the group from a side street.

"Tank! And it's a big one!" He yelled, preparing the Wind Scar. Francis and Louis had hoisted Bill, Kagome, and Zoey onto the roof of the shed. Now, Francis was standing on Louis' shoulder and reaching for Kagome's hand. She pulled him up as the Tank came into sight. It picked up a slab of concrete from the road and chucked it, not at Louis, but at Francis. He fell with a thud. Inuyasha realeased the Wind Scar. It slashed across it's stomach, but it kept coming at Francis. Louis and the others peppered it with bullets, but it ignored them all, excpet Francis. Kagome shot a Sacred Arrow at it. It stuck in it's shoulder, but it ignored it. Louis actually stepped in it's path and fired into it's face, but it actually moved around him to get to Francis. As he stood up, the Tank punched him, sending him flying. Zoey screamed and fired rounds from her hunting rifle into it's head.

"It's attracted to Francis because of the Boomer!" Bill yelled to the group. Francis picked himself up off the ground just as the Tank slid to a stop in front of him and hit him again. And again. And again. This thing wouldn't die! It raised it's massive fist, preparing the final strike. Francis was laying on the ground, bloodied and half conscious. Just before it struck, Inuyasha released another Wind Scar, killing it. It toppled backwards with a rattling breath. Zoey had jumped off of the rooftop as soon as it fell to it's knees and was now trying to stand Francis up.

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**Yeah, evil little cliffie. Is he dead? Is he alive?  
**

**Who knows.**

**Am I gonna keep you in suspense for a while?**

**You bet. **

**Review! *huggs* :D  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ok, that's enough suspense :)**

***BIG NOTICE* VERY special thank you to Shadow Boomer for the AMAZING idea!!!! *huggs* **

**

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**Zoey dragged Francis back into the safe room, and Inuyasha and Louis barricaded the door. Zoey immediately set to work trying to heal his wounds, but to no avail. His breaths were still shallow and weak, and Inuyasha could smell death on him.

"Francis, just hold on, you'll be fine, I promise..." Zoey pleaded. He met her gaze and shook his head with the ghost of a smile.

"Francis..." Louis said quietly. He sunk to his knees and let out a small groan. Bill closed his eyes and put his hand on his forehead. He knew what a dying man looked like, and Francis was the spitting image. Kagome felt her eyes tearing up and turned away. She felt like she was intruding. Inuyasha put a strong hand on her shoulder gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Kagome, there's nothing anyone can do now..." He said quietly. She swallowed the lump in her throat and met his gaze. She felt a little bit more comforted, but not a lot.

"I feel like I can help though....I just don't know if..." she looked down and interlocked her fingers. She looked back up at Inuyasha for a moment and sighed.

"Inuyasha, if something happens to me..." She started, but he silenced her.

"Nothing's going to happen to you, I won't let that happen. I swear on my mother's grave." Her eyes widened at his promise. She gave him a small smile and kissed him on the cheek. He turned bright red and opened his mouth to speak. She turned her back and knelt by Francis's side.

"I have an idea." She said to the man. "I'm not sure how you'll feel about it though..."

"What?" Zoey asked desperately, even though the question wasn't aimed at her.

"I think I know a way to save him." She said hesitantly. She knew the cost of this, and didn't want to tell them.

"Let's try it." Francis said quietly. It was hardly a whisper. "What's the worst that could-" He was interrupted by a bout of coughing. Kagome looked in his hand and saw blood. Her stomach clenched.

"Ok. Give me your hands." He obliged. His hands were so cold and clammy, she almost jerked away, but she forced herself to stay. She closed her eyes and concentrated.

A pink glow engulfed Francis's body. He gasped quietly as a warmth filled his body. He could hear Kagome's voice, but he couldn't hear what she was saying.

"What?" He called, as her voice was fading.

"Just hold on." She said as the warmth began to fade as well.

"What? Kagome!" He called, thrashing. Only Kagome and Francis heard this, and the others were trying to restrain Francis. Nobody noticed that his wounds had mysteriously healed. Kagome fell to the ground. Just as she passed out, Francis woke up.

"Francis!" Zoey sighed and threw her arms around his neck, knocking him back down to the ground. He wrapped an arm around her waist and sat back up.

"Where's Kagome?" He asked. Inuyasha had her in his lap, and just as he said her name, she stirred. She opened her eyes sleepily and looked around in confusion.

"Kid...what did you do?" Bill asked her quietly. She gave everyone a small smile. She made to stand up, and realized that she was sitting on Inuyasha's lap. They both blushed bright red and moved apart.

"It's called a Soul Exchange. Kaede taught it to me. What happens it a priestess takes a fraction of her soul, and transfers it to the soul of another person. The piece of her soul mends the other persons soul and most of their body. It can only be done a certain amount of times however. "

"Is that what happened to you and Kikyo?" Inuyasha asked. The others were a little confused.

"It's similar. I was afraid to do it though. Kaede said that she's only done it once, and she almost died." She told me never to try it, unless you or one of the others were hurt."

"Then why did you do it?" Francis asked, gently touching what, only 5 minutes ago, had been a massive chest wound. Kagome blushed lightly.

"Well, you guys..." She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone knew what she meant. Suddenly, there was a screech outside of the door. Louis stood up quickly and grabbed his weapon. Something started scratching against the door, and Kagome's heart tightened. The scratching got louder and louder. So did the screeching. Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's wrist, and Zoey clutched Francis's arm. Louis grabbed his hunting rifle and angled it down between the bars of the door of the safe room. Just before he pulled the trigger, the Infected screeched again. And it sounded like Kagome's name.

"WAIT!" She ran forward and peered outside. Sitting outside of the door was a Hunter. On his head was a bloody green hat. He looked up at her. His eyes weren't blank or unfocused like the others were. The eyes were intelligent. The Infected looked up at her, scanning her face.

"Souta?" She whispered. The Hunter's eyes widened at the sound of her voice. Inuyasha walked up behind her and sniffed the air. Underneath the smell of death that was everywhere, he could smell Souta's scent.

"That is Souta...." He muttered. Kagome teared up and started to open the door. Bill ran forward and tried to stop her, but Inuyasha pushed her behind him and got into a defensive position.

"We can't let him in, he's Infected!" Kagome tried to fight against Inuyasha, but he held her back.

"Kagome...he's right. He's not...himself...anymore. We can't let him in." He felt her struggle more, then he felt her go limp. She was softly crying. He pulled her into his arms and held her until she cried herself to sleep.

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Later that night, Kagome was on watch. Once she was sure that everyone was asleep, she crouched by the door and called Souta's name. She heard him scratching.

"Souta, when we leave tomorrow, follow us. I promise, I will get the others to let you with us." She placed her hand on the bars of the door. Souta curled his hand around hers. His hand was cold, damp, and clammy. A small shudder ran through her, but she didn't show it. She reached her hand through the bars tenativly. She knew that if he really wasn't himself, and she got bitten, then the others were all dead too.

"No..." She murmured and shook her head. She stretched forward a little more until she could feel the green hat. She rubbed the top of Souta's head. He nuzzled her hand, as if he was a kitten. Suddenly, she heard voices outside. She could see his eyes widen in fear.

"Go! Just be careful!" She whispered. He gave her a look. There was sadness, love, anger, joy, fear, and hope in that 3 second gaze. She knew that he was afraid, and she wanted to help him. But, until the others would trust him, she couldn't. She leaned up against the door and heard the voices coming closer. She heard the people arguing.

"Fine then, I guess this is where we part." A male voice said. A female was crying softly.

"I guess so. Sarah, I can see your mind is made up. I'm taking George with me." A second male voice said. She heard a dog yip after the man spoke. The three said their goodbyes. After a minute or two, she heard George panting. He sniffed the door loudly.

"Who's there George? Is someone there?" Just as he asked, he pumped his shotgun. Kagome backed away from the door in horror. The man pounded his fist against the door. Everyone else was instantly awake. Inuyasha shoved Kagome behind him, and Bill grabbed Zoey's arm.

"Who's there? Let me in!" He yelled. Louis carefully went over to the door and opened it. The man was about 7 feet tall, 230 pounds. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit that said "LIBERTY CITY FEDERAL PRISON". He had jet black hair in a long ponytail and violet eyes. Kagome moaned quietly behind Inuyasha and gripped the back of his haori. She was beginning to feel sick.

"Well well well... who do we have here?" He smirked and shined his flashlight on Kagome's face, and slowly examined the others. Each group member just stared at the man in cold fear. Kagome felt her heart tighten. She felt as if she was staring Death itself in the face.

"I'm Nathan Ontodo. This is George." He nodded down to a German Shepard at his feet. Lightening cracked and thunder clapped in the distance, not helping the tension any.

"I've heard of you! You were sentenced to death because you raped and killed 14 little girls." Louis gasped. Kagome tightened her grip on Inuyasha.

"Well, let's just say that the death penalty no longer applies to me."

"That's what you think." Inuyasha stood up and pulled out Tetsusaiga. Kagome felt a cold chill run through her body as the man snickered.

"What are you gonna do with that useless, over sized knife, _Inuyasha_?" He sneered. Kagome felt her mouth drop open. Inuyasha sputtered. "How did-"

"You filthy half-breed. You're finally getting what's yours." He smirked. Kagome finally recognized him.

"Naraku!" She screamed. Inuyasha brought the Tetsusaiga down, unleashing the Wind Scar. It was deflected back. Inuyasha shoved Kagome out of the way and jumped. Bill caught Kagome and shoved her to the ground. Naraku squeezed the trigger, putting a hole in the wall, just behind where Bill's head had been moments ago. Louis shot him in the arm, but the flesh just healed itself over. Zoey grabbed Francis and tried to hide him. Kagome pulled out an arrow and shot it, but like the Wind Scar, it was just sent back at her. She ducked and the arrow embedded itself in the wall. Suddenly, a loud screech broke through the night.

_'No...'_ Kagome thoguht fearfully. Souta lept out of nowhere and tackled Naraku to the ground and started attacking his chest. As he slashed him, miasma poured out of his wounds. He jumped away at the first sign of the toxic gas. Kagome put up a barrier around the group. Inuyasha covered his nose, and the others followed his example, not knowing how deadly the gas really was. Naraku followed Souta out into the night. There was silence for a moment. Then, a shotgun blast, followed by a screech of pain. Then thunder broke the silence, and the rain fell in the form of Kagome's tears and cries.

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**Ok, nice little update there for you**

**Review please! **

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	7. Chapter 7

**If you read any of my Inuyasha stories, including this one, take my poll please**

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**"We have to go after him!" Kagome said after a little while. She and Inuyasha had to explain everything to the others. They were horrified. Inuyasha put his hand on her shoulder.

"Kagome, he could be anywhere by now." Francis said quietly. The girl was obviously heartbroken, and he didn't want to watch her snap.

"Inuyasha could find him. I know he can." Inuyasha gave the others a look. They wanted to find the kid, but knew how risky it was.

"Kagome-"

"I'm going to find my little brother, alone if I have to." She spun on her heel and made her way for the door. After seeing all that she had, she was stronger, and not as afraid. She knew that Inuyasha would follow her, but she knew that if she was alone, she could handle things fine.

"Kagome, you know I'm not letting you go alone." Inuyasha said, grabbing her wrist and turning her.

"Look, it's not that we don't want to find the kid-"

"But you don't want to try?" She snapped coldly at the older man. Inuyasha stared. Kagome had changed...

"You know how freaking hard it's going to be to try to find him? We'd have to totally give up any freaking hope of making it to Liberty City and getting out of this chaos!" Bill caught himself and made his language better.

"I'm willing to take that risk. None of you have to come with me. I can handle things alone." She glared at each, noticing that Zoey had tears in her eyes.

"Kagome, please. Let's just relax and take a deep breath. Let's sort things out and-"

"No!" She pulled out of Inuyasha's grasp and faced the group with a cold look. "I'm going after Souta. He's the only family I have left. If this was any of you, you'd be acting the same." Zoey hung her head. She knew she would. She looked at Louis, who looked hurt. She put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I'm going after Souta." She repeated in a final sounding tone. "If you want to come with me, go ahead. You don't have to. If you don't, I'll hopefully see you in Liberty City." She turned and opened the door to the saferoom and walked out. The others stared after her. Inuyasha looked at the group, torn.

"Go with her. Here, take this." Louis handed the man a small silver cell phone. "Somehow, cell phones still work. Call us if you find the kid, and we'll meet up with you."

"Ok. Stay safe you guys." He gave them a nod and ran after Kagome. The miko was fuming. The Infected nearby seemed to avoid her. They stumbled away as she came near. He followed her into an abandoned building.

"Kagome! KAGOME!" He grabbed her arm and spun her around. She coolly met his gaze.

"What was that back there? I've never seen you like that!" He held her hand, trying to figure out what she was thinking. She torn her gaze away from his and sighed.

"Inuyasha..." she muttered quietly. "I've been going these past few days, thinking that everyone I cared about, except you, was dead. Now that I know Souta's out there, and recognizes me..." She met his gaze again. "I need to find him. I don't care if it kills me."

_Stop it_"I do." He said quietly. She blushed and turned away. He brushed a lock of hair out of her face delicately. In the flickering light of the lobby of the office, he could see her eyes twinkling.

"Kagome..." He murmured quietly, pulling the girl against his chest. She clutched the front of his haori.

"I'm just sick of feeling so weak and useless." She whispered. He put a clawed finger under her chin and forced her to make eye contact.

"I mean, compared to Miroku and Sango, and even the others here; I'm so much weaker-"

"Kagome. You aren't useless or weak. Don't think for even a second that you are." His tone was firm. She stared into his golden orbs, feeling her heart melt.

"Inuyasha..." They stared at each other for another moment, when she realized that Inuyasha was leaning towards her. She closed her eyes.

"Kagome!" An screech from oustide jerked them away from each other. Inuyasha mentally cursed and grabbed Kagome's arm. He shoved the girl behind him as the Hunter jumped into the room. He sat on the desk, looking at the couple from under his hood. Kagome slowly moved from behind Inuyasha and stepped towards the Infected.

"Souta? Is...is that you?" She hesitantly reached her hand out, but let it drop. The Infected dropped off of the counter and stood up. A faint growl made her jump, and made Inuyasha tense. He raised a clawed hand and scratched something on the wall.

**SISTER**

"Souta... it is you!" She let out a quiet sob and looked at him.

"Kagome?" he growled, making the girl's skin crawl involuntarily.

_'Stop it! You just found him, relax!'_ She thought to herself and took another step forward. Souta cringed and leaned away from her.

"No..." he growled quietly.

"Souta, I'm your big sister. Let me see you."

"No..."

"Souta, you aren't a monster, you aren't evil, you're you. I wanna see you!" She took another step forward. He slowly raised his hands and lowered his hood. HIs face was waxen, his skin tight and pale white. His mouth had traces of blood in it. His eyes were bloodshot, but still warm and happy. He looked at her sadly. She took another step forward and hugged him. The young boy tried to pull away for a moment, but then returned the gesture.

"Can you talk more than a few words?" She asked. He shrugged.

"Please try."

"Wh...What's...up Inu-Inuyasha?" He choked out. She smiled and hugged him again. Inuyasha came over and ruffled the boys hair.

"Glad to see you Souta." Kagome was silently crying.

_'Thank Goodness'_

* * *

Zoey, Bill, Francis and Louis were hiding. Zoey had been puked on by a Boomer, and the guys had shoved her into a closet while they killed the swarming Infected. Zoey moaned and tried to wipe the stuff off.

"Yuck! This stuff is so gross!" She groaned and leaned back against the wall of the small room. She closed her eyes, and the pounding in her head stopped a little. She sighed and let her body totally relax, for the first time since the Infection.

"Zoey? You awake?" A hand gently shook her. She opened her eyes to see Francis smirking down at her.

"You know, if you didn't wake up then, I was about to leave." He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Oh thanks Francis." She smiled and playfully hit him. He opened the door.

"Age before beauty." He gestured dramatically. She exited, shaking her head and laughing.

"What's so funny?" Louis asked, searching through the medicine cabinet.

"Francis is just being..."

"A moron?" Bill finished, shutting his cabinet's door with a bang. "Nothing."

"Crap." Louis said in a shaking voice. They only had one health kit left, no pills, and only everyone but Zoey was down to their pistols.

"Well, nothing good's gonna happen if we just stand here. Let's go. It's not like first aid is just gonna pop outta-" Just as he turned around, he noticed 4 first aid kits sitting on a table. In plain sight.

"Nowhere."

"Those weren't here when we got here, were they?" Zoey asked, sounding almost afraid.

"Maybe we just missed them while the mob was on us." Francis said, scooping up one and tossing it to the girl. She caught it and looked at it as if it was about to vanish.

"I don't know...something seems off..."

"Relax. Let's just go." Louis said as he finished healing. He turned around and gasped.

"PILLS HERE!" He yelled and grabbed a bottle. The others looked at him in confusion. He looked a little embarassed.

"What?"

Zoey shook her head and laughed. Suddenly, there was a faint buzzing noise. Louis shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out a cell phone.

"Inuyasha?"

_'Hey. We got Souta. Where are you?' _

"We're in an office on 54th street."

_'Ok... we're on West 32nd street.'_

"We'll start heading that way."

_'Ok. See you soon.'_

"Ok." He hung up and turned to the group.

"They've got the kid."

"Are they ok?"

"Yeah. Let's go, they're on West 23rd. We can meet them halfway." All of them turned to leave and froze. There was a hole in the door, and through it, they could see a Tank in the hallway.

"Ok, that definitely wasn't there before." Zoey whispered as the group backed up.

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	8. Chapter 8

**Ok, thanks for the reviews I got! It was nice! :D**

**Please take my poll if you read any of my other Inuyasha stories. **

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The group backed into the corner. The Tank was so obvious.

"How did that get there?" Zoey whispered, deathly white. Louis shook his head.

"This is too weird..." Bill murmured. Francis slowly crept across the room, never taking his eyes off of the monster. It roared, causing everyone to jump, but it didn't see them. If it was to look through the hole, they'd all be dead. But, for some reason, it was more concerned with something in the hallway.

Francis, now on the other half of the room, opened a closet door slowly. It creaked open, causing everyone to stiffen. The Tank turned a little, listening. Everyone froze, silently praying that it would turn away. After a tense minute, that really felt like an hour, it turned it's back to them. Louis silently ushered the others to follow Francis into the closet. Once everyone was inside, Francis slowly pulled the door shut. Zoey groped through the darkness and finally found a lightswitch. With a small pop, the bare bulb flickered on.

"Wow, what luck." She smiled at the guys. In the light, everything was thrown into sharp relief. All of the guys despretly needed a shave, and Louis and Francis had cuts on their faces. Bill looked older and more tired. She gave them a comforting smile.

"What are we going to do?" Louis whined, wiping the smile from Zoey's face.

"I don't know... we could jump out of the window..." Francis started.

"Francis, we're up 2 stories." Bill rolled his eyes and hit him with his pistol. Francis dodged the attack.

"What? It's better than getting killed by that monster out there!" His tone got cold. He and Bill glared at each other.

"Come on guys, we can't fight." Louis said, playing peacemaker. The two men looked at each other and sighed.

"Maybe we can jump onto something, like a van or a car or something to lessen the fall." Zoey said, thinking. They could hear the Tank snorting in the hall. Zoey shuddered. Francis put a hand on her back, unknown to the others. She looked at him and leaned closer to him.

"It's worth a shot." Louis said. Bill nodded. Francis moved to open the door. Just before his hand touched the doorknob, they heard the Tank roaring and felt the room shaking.

"How?!" Zoey screamed and quickly reloaded her weapon. Francis looked around and pulled a box off of a shelf behind him. "Everyone grab some!" He screamed, opening a box of bullets. Everyone loaded their weapons with it, not caring what it was. The Tank broke the door down and roared at all of them, sticking out it's tongue and grunting. Everyone let out a scream and started shooting. As soon as the bullets hit the Tank, they exploded, sending it backwards more. Francis grabbed Zoey by the arm and roughly shoved her towards the window.

"GO!" He screamed, continuing to shoot. Zoey jumped out of the window, wincing as the impact hit her. Louis, Bill, and Francis soon followed. They ran down the street, shooting. Soon, the Tank fell to the ground, dead.

"It's about time you guys found us!" A voice said. Inuyasha, Kagome, and a Hunter came out from a nearby building. Zoey subconsciously raised her gun at the sight of the Hunter, but immediatly lowered it.

"Guys... this is my little brother, Souta." Kagome said, looking happier than she had in a long time. The others looked at the Hunter cautiously. Inuyasha seemed relaxed. If he was relaxed, then it must be alright.

"Souta, this is Zoey, Francis, Bill, and Louis." Kagome said slowly, pointing out each person, who waved or smiled at the boy. The Hunter looked at the priestess.

"Hi." he growled after a moment. Zoey let out a quiet yelp.

"They... they can talk...?" She whispered, slightly scared now.

"No. Souta is the only one." Inuyasha said, ruffling the boy's hood as if it was his hair.

"How?" Bill asked, amazed.

"I think it's because Kagome. She's a priestess, so I think that some of her spiritual power rubbed off on the kid. But, not enough to totally save him." Inuyasha said, sounding like they had talked about this for a while. Kagome nodded and squeezed her brother's clawed hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze, remembering that humans were weaker than the other Infected he had seen. Zoey knelt down on one knee.

"Souta... can you understand the other Infected?" She asked, talking like she was talking to a little child. He looked up at Kagome, then looked back at her and nodded.

"Can we bring him with us?" Kagome asked sadly. The group looked at her.

"Of course we can." Bill said after a moment. Kagome smiled and started crying. Inuyasha and Souta started freaking out, but Zoey just smiled and hugged the young woman tightly. Kagome laughed and hugged her back. Bill shook his head with a smile.

"Women. I'll never understand them." Inuyasha said after a moment with a chuckle. Bill laughed.

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Back at the Higurashi Shrine, a Smoker stumbled around, coughing. He tripped over a large chunk of wood. Underneath was a glowing blue light. He clumsily shoved the debris aside to see a hole in the ground, glowing blue. He leaned over, staring into the depths. Suddenly, he lost his balance and fell in.

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**Review please :D *huggs* **


	9. Chapter 9

**WOW! Rush of reviews for that last chapter! Loved it!!! I guess you guys liked that ending huh? lol **

**Special thanks to those who hurt themselves panicking in their reviews. You know who you are, and you really made my night! :D I love all of my reviewer so much! Thanks guys! *huggs* **

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**Inuyasha and Kagome were the only ones awake. Inuyasha was used to keeping watch, so he volunteered to do so again, and Kagome wanted to talk to Souta. The others were a little uneasy around him, but they would never admit it to her. Kagome leaned up against the wall, facing the door. Inuyasha sat against the door, just barely asleep, like normal.

"What happened here?" Kagome asked Souta quietly. He met her gaze for a moment and then looked away. He stretched his arms out and began scratching in the dirt. She moved closer to him to read what he had written.

**There was a shot. If you got it, it could add up to 35 sickness free years to your life. They forced us to get it. I got called to the nurse's office for a physical, and there was a doctor there. He and the nurse literally strapped me down, made me get the shot... Then, people started getting sick. It was almost like rabies. Then, this happened. **

"Why aren't you speaking?"

**It hurts to talk. I still can, but it hurts.**

"What happened to Mom and Grandpa?"

**Grandpa willingly got the shot. He got so sick, and died a week later. Most of the elderly did. I don't know what happened to Mom. I turned Infected at school. I was the only one in my class who lived.**

Kagome watched as a small shiver ran through him. She put an arm around him and drew him close. He rested his head on her shoulder after a moment, hungry for comfort.

"I missed you Souta." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. He growled softly, putting an arm around her back. A small smile crossed Inuyasha's. He was glad that the two were reunited, finally.

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Zoey woke up at dawn, wondering where Inuyasha and Kagome where. She found a note scratched into the dirt.

_Went to look for food. Be back soon. Took Souta with us. _

_Inuyasha and Kagome_

Zoey sighed and propped her gun against the wall, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She heard someone moving around nearby, only to realize that Francis was waking up.

"Hey." She croaked, her voice thick with sleep. She cleared her throat and rolled her neck, hearing it crack in a few places.

"Morning." He said quietly, stretching his arms. He gave her a soft smile and walked over to her, sitting down next to her, his back against the wall.

"How're ya feelin'?" He asked, giving her a sideways look.

"I'm alright I guess." She whispered. She turned to face him. He was watching her concernedly. She tried to give him a smile, but really couldn't.

"What's wrong?" He asked. She shook her head gently. He gave her an exasperated look.

"Yeah, right." He scoffed. She chuckled quietly.

"I'm just feeling a little guilty. I mean, everyone's dead or Infected, and out of everyone, I survived. All of my friends, my family; gone. I'm all alone... and I feel like I shouldn't be alive." She said, staring at the ground. She expected him to just listen stoically. To her surprise, he put an arm around her shoulders. She looked at him, blushing.

"You're not alone." He said quietly. She blushed redder and slowly rested her head on his shoulder. He hugged her close for a moment.

"Still... I feel like I shouldn't be here." She raised her head up and met his gaze.

"Well you are. You're strong, and you're a fighter. You're going to be alright. You're friends and family would be proud of you." He said. After a moment, he dropped his gaze, slightly embarrassed.

"Thanks Francis." She whispered. He nodded, keeping her close.

"Sure." She was touched. Francis always seemed so cold and distant, never really opening up to anyone. She was surprised at how sweet he really was. He nodded. He began to move his arm away, but she grabbed his hand and clung onto it. He held her gaze for a moment before he put his arm back, grinning. She put her head back on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Are you tired?" He asked, tightening his hold on her. She nodded slightly.

"Get some sleep, it's alright. I'll keep watch." She nodded again and nestled her head into his shoulder more, curling up against him. He reached over and draped a blanket over her.

"Go to sleep." He whispered. She fell asleep, dreaming of times before the vaccine.

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Inuyasha and Kagome walked down the empty street, feeling relaxed. Souta lept from rooftop to rooftop, keeping an eye out for any Infected nearby. The two watched as the boy twirled, flipped, and did other intricate jumps. Kagome laughed as he did a double backflip from the bank to the roof of the insurance agency. Inuyasha grinned and readjusted the bags on his shoulders. They had found a lot of non perishable food left over in the store. Inuyasha had found a lot of Ramen in the backroom. They had about four bags filled with food. They turned a corner and could see the safe room at the end of the street. They smiled and broke into a run, eager to meet up with the others. Suddenly, they heard Souta cry out. About 20 feet in front of them was Naraku. He grinned evilly at the two. Inuyasha dropped the bags and ripped out Tetsusaiga.

"Naraku." He hissed. He grabbed Kagome by the elbow and gently pulled her behind him. Partially hidden from view, she discretely pulled out her bow and nocked and arrow.

"Inuyasha." Naraku sai, his voice laced with hatred. The two glared at each other. Miasma swirled around Naraku, and the Sacred Jewel Shards in Kagome's pocket glowed in response.

"What do you want?" Inuyasha growled, tightening his grip on his sword. Naraku leered at him.

"The Sacred Jewel Shards, what else?" He spoke as if he was talking to a four year old. Inuyasha gave him an angry smile.

"Well, then, as always, you're going to be disappointed."

"We'll see about that." Naraku said, charging forward in a flash. Inuyasha barely had enough time to block the attack. Kagome was thrown back as Inuyasha staggered to stay upright.

"Kagome!" He cried out. He angrily shoved Naraku backwards and unleashed the Wind Scar. Kagome sat up and let the arrow loose. The energies combined and swirled, demonic and purifying, until they hit Naraku. He flew backwards and crashed into the bank forty feet away. Inuyasha grabbed Kagome and threw her on his back. He took off sprinting towards the saferoom. He wrenched the door open, threw Kagome in, and slammed it shut. He then grabbed a slab of concrete and barricaded the door shut. Kagome slammed against the wall of the saferoom with a grunt. She fell to the ground and slid to the wall. The others ran over to her side and helped her up. She ran back over to the door, screaming.

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha!!" She cried out, yanking on the bars of the door. They wouldn't give. Inuyasha ignored her anguished cries and faced Naraku.

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Miroku walked through the forest, sporting a fresh red handprint on his right cheek. Sango sat at the camp, fuming. Miroku sighed and shook his head, the cool night air stinging his sore cheek.

"Women." He sighed and stopped. He had heard a cough about twenty feet away. He gripped his staff tighter in front of him and took a defensive stance.

"Who's there?" He called, his voice full of confidence. His eyes narrowed and he scanned his surroundings. He didn't see or sense anything demonic. He relaxed, thinking it was just his imagination. Suddenly, something red and long shot out and grabbed him around the waist. He yelped as he was dragged along on the ground. The slimy cord was constricting him. He was dragged up into a tree, where he was hanging, unable to help himself. He struggled, trying to break loose, but to no avail. He called out for Sango to help him, hoping that she wasn't too far away to hear him. He felt his strength being sapped from his body. Just as sudden as the attack had come, it was over, and he was laying on the forest floor. He groaned and sat up, shaking. Sango knelt down next to him and helped him to his feet.

"Are you ok?" She asked, concern on her face. He nodded, still shaking.

"I think so..." He looked up to the tree. A cloud of green smoke hung on one of the highest branches. The ferns under the tree were trembling. He looked at Sango for a moment before slowly walking over to the ferns. There, the mutated body of a human lay. They recoiled in shock. Whatever this was, it wasn't human...

Anymore.

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**Short update, but I've got writer's block coming on. I can feel it :/ Not fun. Review please :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for the wait guys. I've had it rough lately... thanks for being patient**

***Mic Mov- Your reviews for this really helped me a lot. I've had it rough lately, and whenever I got your messages, I felt so much better. I really really really am touched. And so I thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for helping me through a hard time. I may not know you personally, but I already consider you a good friend. *Huge huggs, and gives cookie***

_**Ok, I'm done embarrassing my reviewers. On with the story :D**_

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**Sango slowly backed away from the corpse, horrified. She closed her eyes and leaned against the trunk of an old tree, trying to stop her head from spinning. Miroku gingerly stabbed it with his staff, deeming it dead once and for all. He turned to her, panic on his face.

"What is this?!"

* * *

Inuyasha stood in front of Naraku, noticing how he had changed. His hair was white now, and short, barely there. His eyes were red, and he wore black suit with a purple tie. His eyes narrowed when he saw the hanyou, a sneer crossing his face once again.

"Recognizing your death Inuyasha?"

"Hate to break it to ya, but I haven't died yet, and you aren't gonna see it!"

An amused glint appeared in Naraku's eyes. "So, you really don't know...That'll just give me the pleasure of watching you die again!" Naraku launched forward, his sword glinting dully in the moonlight. Inuyasha barely had enough time to block the attack, and it still knocked him backwards about ten feet. All of the bones in his arm were jarred violently, and he nearly dropped the sword. Inuyasha growled quietly and brought Tetsusaiga back up in front of him, his arm muscles burning as he did so. His eyes narrowed as Naraku began laughing.

"What's so funny? You getting hysterical on me?"

"You've gotten so weak... or maybe it's just how strong I've grown. I can't believe that I was unable to defeat you all those years ago. You haven't seen the extents of my new strength. Strength that I've been gathering since you disappeared."

"Disappeared? What do you mean, disappeared?"

He sneered. "Why, you don't know? Of course you wouldn't; not yet anyways." He winked and vanished in an explosion of miasma. Inuyasha held his breath and was flung to the ground with the Force of the blast. He sat up shakily, chills running down his spine as he recalled Naraku's words.

* * *

Sango awoke to Miroku shaking her shoulder; gently, yet urgently. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, the light hues of the early morning draping over everything on Earth. She met his gaze, and couldn't help the small smile that spread across her face. It dimmed, however, when she saw the look on his face; the fear in his eyes.

"You should look at this." He half whispered, holding out a rumpled piece of paper. She took it, giving him a worried glance before she started reading.

**INFECTION SPREADING AT RECORD-BREAKING RATE  
**_By Souta Higurashi_

The newly discovered illness, Grantuan Flu, is infecting people at an alarming fast rate. The disease has already infected half of the world's population. While most don't even know that they have the disease, some are being affected by it worse than others.

"For most people, the symptoms are mainly flu-like symptoms, and some mild aggression or hormonal imbalance; treatable and easy to recover from." Dr. David Irving Rector commented during a press conference. "For select others, the symptoms are much worse. The aggression is worse, and they develop an illness similar to rabies. For some, it is just like rabies found in animals. For others, the cases are more extraordinary. Some swell up, some grow taller, some shrink and cannot walk on two feet, and other grow stronger."

Only 5 students from the district have been affected by the more serious form of the disease, one being Mr. Brilinkski, the 11th grade Chemistry teacher. Those ill have been taken a government hospital for monitoring.

"Most of the student population has the disease already. Some may be immune to the harsher effects, while some may have a weaker strain." Says the local division of the Health Department. "Unless you have the rarer, more serious strain, you shouldn't be as concerned. A vaccine is in the works."

School officials recommend that every resident in the district receive the vaccine.

**More on page 15**

"Souta must have written this for that paper they give out at the school. With the news..." Miroku muttered, remembering Kagome bringing a few back for the group to see.

"Is there more?" Sango asked, suddenly frightened for some reason. Miroku nodded slowly.

"There is, but it's not the same one. It's a month later." He said quietly as he walked over to his staff, lifting it up to free the worn piece of paper from beneath. Sango slowly traced Souta's name, wondering what had happened. She felt a cold pang of fear pierce her heart as she realized that Kagome and Inuyasha might be in trouble. Miroku came back over and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze as he handed her the piece of paper.

**Disease control failing  
**_By Ariel Schumasteria_

The vaccine to stop the Grantuan flu was supposed to add years onto your life, as well as cure the illness_. _While the Grantuan flu has been eradicated, the vaccine has had awful consequences.

"The vaccine has cured the general cases of Grantuan flu, but has created it's own problems." a representative from the Health Department stated in a press conference. "The people who got the vaccine; their DNA seems to be changing. There's nothing anyone can do to stop it. Only a few lucky souls have been deemed immune to the effects of the virus. Not everyone got the shot however, and not everyone who received it is doomed." The representative tried futilely to prevent the riot at her words. People are demanding that Dr. Rector, the creator of the vaccine, immediately do something, but Rector has mysteriously vanished. He is presumed dead.

"This is just outrageous! As creator, it's his job to help us now that it's doing this!" A concerned citizen exclaimed on the street.

"I know that there's probably not much he can do, but if he's alive, he shouldn't be a coward. He needs to own up and do anything he can to fix this." William Johnson replied. "He can't just hide. It's his responsibility to do everything he can to help whoever he can."

While government officials are doing everything they can to find a cure, some fear it may already be too late. Hundreds are dying every day, and the rate of infected rises steadily with each passing day. Those who aren't dying seem to almost be changing. They are growing paler, slower in reaction, faster in speed, and violent. Martial law has been proclaimed until things get better.

Some fear this may be the end of the human race. Others think that the more logical explanation is that this will pass in time, just like smallpox and the bubonic plague before it. Everyone now knows just how serious this is, and is preparing for the worst.

**More on page A5**

Miroku turned to Sango, his expression grim. Shippo, who had been sleeping by the fire, moaned quietly in his sleep. Sango ran over to him and dabbed his face with a wet cloth.

"Miroku, if something happened, they may not be coming back for a while." Sango looked at him, a small tear falling down her cheek. Miroku sighed quietly and ran a hand through his hair.

"We could send Shippo up to the village with Kirara." He said after a few moments. "Then she could join us once he's with Kaede.

"Where are we going?"

"Down the well."

* * *

As soon as the door was opened, Kagome launched herself into Inuyasha's arms. He held her tightly and buried his face in her neck. He felt her trembling. Suddenly, she pulled away from him and glared at him.

"SIT!"

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" The hanyou screamed as he ate pavement. The others looked on, confused.

"DON'T DO THAT AGAIN!"

"I WAS JUST TRYING TO PROTECT-Kagome?" He sat up and stopped yelling when he realized that she was crying.

"Kagome?"

"I was worried! I thought I was going to lose you!" She cried out, turning away from him and sobbing. He blanched.

"Well forgive me for trying to protect you!" He snapped. She instantly stopped crying and straightened her back. She turned around and glared at him with a look that almost could kill.

"I don't need you to protect me, I can take care of myself." She said in a low voice.

"I like to know you're safe." He said, as equally quiet. By now the others had retreated into the safe room, giving the two privacy. He stepped closer, gently grasping her arm. She pulled away and started back into the safe room. He grabbed her again and pulled her to the side. She pressed her back against the cold stone wall and turned her head away, refusing to meet his gaze.

"I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you Kags." He whispered, gently caressing her cheek with his hand. Her breath caught in her throat and she looked up at him, her eyes misty.

"Inuyasha..." He held her gaze and took her tiny hands in his large ones. Her skin was so cold, but warmed instantly at his touch. He returned his gaze to her eyes. They stood there for a moment before they heard a loud roar fill the area. He pushed her over to the safe room, but she caught the edge of his haori. She held his gaze and nodded. He reluctantly returned the nod as the others came out and stood beside them. They formed a line in front of the safe room. Souta pounced out and landed, cat-like, in front of them all. They all smiled as the Infected came into sight. It was a Tank, but there was something odd about it. It was female, and it was screaming in pain. It was covered in body armor, and they knew at once that bullets would be useless to harm it. But most peculiar was the fact that it was screaming words.

"KAGOME! SOUTA!" The voice cried out, obviously in agony. Inuyasha then noticed Naraku floating on a cloud of miasma.

"He's controlling it." He said to Kagome, but she was staring at the Tank in horror. Souta stood up and backed up a few steps until he was next to his sister. They looked at each other, and Kagome let out a small cry.

"Mom..."

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***Ducks* DON'T KILL ME! I've gotten back into things, and I'm really loving this again with new vigor! And Mic Mov is partially responsible for that! :D Here's the "holy grail" *huggs* Love all of my reviewers, so much! :D Review please :D**


	11. Chapter 11

**Loved the reviews guys **** And for those who commented on it, I write for my school's paper. That's why the articles seem so realistic :P Thanks again to those who gave me ideas **

****Oh, and I'm sorry. I spent almost a half hour yesterday, trying constantly to submit this doc, but it wouldn't. Sorry :)  
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Kagome sank to her knees, letting out a soft moan. Souta stood in a defensive position in front of the group, tense.

"It's a trick." Inuyasha said quietly to Kagome, hoping to calm her down. She was on her knees, holding her elbows, and shaking hard. He knew that she was about to snap. All of the stress that she had been through the past few days was finally catching up with her.

"Well well well." Naraku said with a triumphant sneer. "I see that there's something wrong with Kagome."

"You baka." Kagome said in a low voice. Her eyes were brown fire. She raised her head and met his gaze. "You'll pay for this." Bill placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, trying to calm her a little. Louis held his gun tighter, anticipating a fire-fight. He could almost see the tension between the two.

"We'll see about that." He smirked. With that, he raised his hand in front of him. Kagome's mother screamed in agony and charged forward towards the group. Francis raised his gun tighter and pointed it, ready to shoot, when Souta screeched at him.

"NO!" Souta leapt up and jumped on his mother's back. Naraku's eyes narrowed and he sharply flicked his wrist to the left. She cried out in pain again and reached up to try and grab Souta, only to have him jump out of the way just in time. He leapt from shoulder to shoulder, almost as if in a dance. Inuyasha took advantage of Naraku's distraction and agilely jumped upward. He punched Naraku in the face, knocking him to the pavement below. The ground shook from the force of the impact, and the street cracked. Inuyasha landed a few feet away from his enemy, unsheathed Tetsusaiga, and had it to his throat in less than a second. Naraku raised his head, watching the blade warily. He sneered and chuckled.

"Lucky shot." Inuyasha tightened his grip on his sword. "But you'll need more than luck to escape with your pathetic lives today." With that, a loud rumbling could be heard in the distance. Kagome's mom screamed in pain as a small thud was heard nearby. Souta had ripped something out of her back. It was jet black, and Kagome could sense it immediately.

"A Jewel Shard…" She whispered. She picked the device up, examining it. She knew that, whatever it was, it was how Naraku was controlling her mother. She opened the small door on the side and removed the Jewel Shard. The tainted shard was instantly purified in her hand. Souta then jumped down and grabbed the device. He tossed it high into the air, where Zoey obliterated it with a single shot. Kagome's mom started to fall forward, but caught herself and stayed upright. She turned and faced behind the group, tense. Inuyasha, never taking his eyes off of Naraku, called out to Kagome. "What is it?" She shook her head and strung an arrow. Souta jumped up onto a rooftop and screamed down to the group.

"DRAGON!"

"Dragon?" Louis asked, confused. Kagome blanched.

"Ryukotsusei?" She whispered. Inuyasha turned his head slightly, just enough to see down the street. The instant he did, Naraku reached up and punched Inuyasha in the temple. He went flying, closer to the disturbance. He skidded along the street, leaving a rut as he did. He slowly sat up, groaning. He turned as he heard a loud roar directly behind him. An Infected version of Ryukotsusei was behind him. He had yellow eyes, blood dripping from his teeth, and he was larger than he was when Inuyasha defeated him.

"What is that thing?!" Bill screamed. The four Survivors backed up subconsciously. Kagome ran to where Souta jumped down.

"Get the others safely away. They can't help this." She demanded. He nodded and jumped over to the others. Kagome stood in front of the abandoned safe room, afraid. The last time that they had faced Ryukotsusei, they had barely escaped with their lives. That had been almost two years ago, but she was still afraid. Inuyasha quickly jumped back to where Kagome stood. He saw her calm demeanor, but he knew her well enough to see the panic she was barely hiding.

"It's gonna be fine." He said quietly. She met his gaze for a quick moment before she nodded. She tightened her grip on her bow and gave him a small smile.

* * *

Mikoku and Sango stopped a few feet away from the well, eying it curiously. They had no clue whether no not they'd be able to go through it. They hadn't ever tried. Sango walked over to it and placed her hand on the worn wooden edge. She sat on the edge slowly. She then turned back and looked at the monk.

"Do you think that this is going to work?" She asked quietly. He gave her a long look and sighed quietly.

"I'm not sure my dear." he said quietly, looking up to the purple and pink sky. The stars were just beginning to come out of the curtain of day for their nightly debut. The crescent moon was barely visible, peeking through the light hues, trying to sneak into the show. The birds were quieting their songs, and the animals were settling in the audience to watch.

"I think I should go first," He said quietly. She stood up and shook her head.

"No, no way."

"-this way in case something happens, you won't be hurt or endangered." He finished firmly.

"No. Either we go together, or I go first Miroku." She said defiantly. He sighed quietly. After a moment of thinking, he slowly nodded. He walked over to her and helped her stand on the edge of the well. He stood on the edge next to her and wrapped an arm tightly around her waist. He looked at her and saw the nervousness on her face. She met his gaze and nodded, giving him a small smile. He tightened his hold on her. She nestled closer to his chest and took a deep breath.

"One…"

"Two…"

"Three!" The both cried in unison. The stepped off the edge, clinging tightly to each other. Kirara flew in just behind them, yowling as the blue light engulfed her.

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**Sorry it's kinda short guys Also, another warning for the future: I try, but I can't always promise regular updates. I try, but you all know how life gets in the way :/ Ok, that's all for now. Love ya *huggs***


	12. Chapter 12

**Life seems to be loving me for now, so I'll update now :)**** I have inspiration and muse :) I just don't want to explain everything in this chapter, so I will next chapter :P **

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Kagome pulled the string of her bow tight as Ryukotsusei came closer and closer. He glared at them all and roared. He suddenly spit a small green object at the group. It hit the ground and a sizzling sound was heard. A green acid spread out beneath their feet.

"Move!" Inuyasha yelled, pushing Kagome to the left roughly. She stumbled but remained upright. Souta kept pushing the four Survivors forward. He turned and looked back, afraid.

"GO!" Inuyasha yelled, knowing that he didn't have a lot of time.

"Take them back home!" Kagome added, nocking the arrow again. He nodded and leapt away, the Survivors sprinting behind him. Kagome turned back to face the giant demon in front of them, coming closer with each passing moment. Naraku sneered up above them, his eyes narrowed. Inuyasha prepared the Windscar. Just as he was about to release it, Kagome's mother jumped forward and attacked Ryukotsusei. The two watched in horror as she leapt up onto it's back and ran up it's spine to its head. She punched him in the back of the head and he fell to the ground, unconscious. Kagome's mother then grabbed Inuyasha and Kagome and ran off, away from Naraku and the Infected demon.

* * *

Miroku and Sango climbed out of the well and looked around, stunned. Kirara grew to her larger size once more and stood beside her Master, growling quietly.

"What happened?" Miroku asked, horrified. Sango shook her head.

"I'm not sure…" Suddenly, something jumped on Miroku's head and started to lead him away.

"Help!" He cried out, trying to pry the Infected off of his face. Sango started forward when suddenly a crack echoed through the air. The Infected fell to the ground with a limp thud. She ran over to him and embraced him.

"Are you alright?" She asked. He nodded and squeezed her gently. They turned when they heard someone step on a piece of wood. Four Survivors looked at them in confusion.

"You alright?" The young woman asked, holding her gun warily. They nodded. Kirara tensed next to Sango, ready to fight.

"What the heck is that thing?" A young man asked, pointing to Kirara. Sango placed a hand on the demon's head.

"This is Kirara. I'm Sango, and this is Miroku." She said slowly. Her and Miroku had been told about guns, and knew that they could do.

"I'm Rochelle. This is Coach, Ellis, and Nick." The woman said with a soft smile. Sango returned the smile. Suddenly, a screech filled the air. The group tensed, and the Survivors grabbed their weapons, ready to fight. A man in a hoodie appeared on the roof of the building, and four more Survivors came out of a door.

"Hunter!" Coach yelled, ready to shoot, but a man wearing a leather vest and covered in tattoos held up his own gun menacingly.

"You shoot him and I'll blow your brains out." He warned. The Southern Survivors lowered their weapons slowly.

"He's with us." An older man said, a stub of a cigarette between his lips.

"You shouldn't be fraternizing with the Infected." Ellis said. "They could turn on you."

"We won't. He's our friend's little brother." A young female said.

"What are your names?" Rochelle asked after a few tense moments.

"I'm Bill. This is Louis, Zoey, and the moron is Francis."

"Thanks old man." Francis rolled his eyes.

"I'm Nick. Rochelle, Ellis, Coach." The man pointed the others out coldly. Obviously, he wasn't that sociable.

"I'm Miroku. This is Sango, and that's Kirara."

"Is she a demon too?" Francis asked, gesturing to the cat demon by Sango. She growled in response and bared her fangs at the biker.

"How did you-"

"We met one. A demon and a girl." Louis said slowly. The group started making their way into the house, scanning cautiously for more Infected.

"What were their names?!" Sango demanded, giving Miroku a quick, hopeful look.

"Kagome and Inuyasha." Zoey replied. The two smiled gratefully and sighed in relief.

"Where are they?"

"Where's who?" A new voice asked. They all turned as Inuyasha and Kagome entered the house. Sango and Miroku stood up, shocked. Kagome's face lit up as she saw her friends. She shrieked and ran over to them, hugging them tightly. Inuyasha walked over and stared at them in amazement.

"How did you guys get here?" He asked Miroku in shock. The two watched as the women embraced, both sobbing.

"We came through the well." Miroku met his friend's gaze, and was completely shock when he hugged him.

"I thought we'd never see you guys again." Inuyasha said in a low voice. Miroku clapped his friend on the back.

"Same here." The two switched and embraced their other friend with just as much gusto. The eight survivors, demon, and Hunter looked on, smiling.

"Guys… this is Souta. My little brother." Kagome said softly, a faint smile crossing her lips.

"And this… is my mother." She said. A huge Infected entered the house. Ellis fell off of his seat and scrambled away, afraid.

"Tank!" He cried out. The humans tightened their grip on their weapons, but didn't move to attack.

"No. She's fine." Inuyasha insisted. Kagome scrambled over to her mother and stood protectively in front of her.

"You have a lot of explaining to do Higurashi." Miroku smiled softly and sat down next to the Survivors. Sango sat next to him, Kirara on her lap.

"I don't." She started, but suddenly, there was a large flash of pink light. Inuyasha clung tightly onto Kagome and shielded her. Souta screeched and backed away. Ellis fell out of his chair again. The group opened their eyes when the light died down and saw Mrs. Higurashi standing in the middle of the room, normal again.

"Mom!" Kagome cried out. She ran forward and hugged her mother tightly. Both women started crying, and Souta jumped forward.

"Sweetheart, I'm so glad you're alright." The older woman said, pulling away to look at her daughter.

"Oh Mama." She fell apart, sobbing. Souta crouch near Inuyasha, afraid to let his mother see him.

"Souta, it's alright." Inuyasha muttered quietly. Souta looked up to his friend and shook his head. Inuyasha sighed and walked forward.

"I think you should see this." He said with a half smile, tapping Mrs. Higurashi on the shoulder. He then pointed down to Souta. Her relieved smile dropped as she looked at her son. Souta growled quietly, cursing Inuyasha.

"Souta…?" She dropped to her knees, heartbroken. She reached forward and hugged her son close.

"I don't care. As long as you're here, that's enough for me." She whispered. Souta hugged her back, his claws clutching her blouse. After a few moments, Rochelle spoke.

"Mrs. Higurashi-"

"No. Call me Kichi." She said, smiling.

"Kichi, can you explain what is going on?" She asked. She nodded slowly.

"It's a long story… Kagome, you haven't been here in a long time, so what do you remember?"

"I remember people talking about this new flu going around… pretty normal, but nobody knew about it. Besides that, I don't know anything. Except that apparently, Naraku has something to do with this." Kichi nodded.

"A few months ago, there was a new disease going around. It was called Grantuan Flu. The name scientists gave it, however, was Guniomo Flu."

"Can you spell that quickly?" Kagome asked, her eyes bright. She traced letters in the air, mouthing them silently. Finally, she gasped.

"Guniomo is an anagram for Onigumo!" She cried out, looking at the others in shock. Miroku nodded.

"That makes sense." He mumbled to himself.

"Dr. Irving Rector created a vaccine for his disease, but the vaccine just made things worse. The flu vanished, but the vaccine was causing more problems."

"Wait… Dr. Irving Rector… D.? Director?" Bill asked, turning to the others, confused.

"I wonder if it's a coincidence…" Nick replied. Rochelle shook her head firmly.

"No way. This guy is making all of this happen. It's like some sort of sick game to him." She said angrily. As soon as the words left her mouth, they heard a sound off in the distance.

"Oh crap." Louis said, grabbing his gun. The eight Survivors stood up, instantly recognizing the sound of an approaching horde. Miroku and Sango shared a confused look.

"Get in the closet!" Zoey screamed as Infected started pouring in the house. Inuyasha leapt over the Infected and grabbed the scared demon slayer and monk. Once they were somewhat safer, he turned his attention back to the sea of Infected. Rochelle and Francis were fighting back to back, Rochelle was using a baseball bat to make up for the fact that she was out of ammo. Francis was on his own, Souta helping nearby. Kagome, Zoey, Louis, and Bill were all in a group, taking turns, trying to be as careful as possible. Coach was helping Ellis out of the grip of a Charger which had barreled in through a window. Inuyasha suddenly felt something familiar. He pulled out Tetsusaiga and began hacking his way through the Infected. Once he was outside, he saw a familiar person nearby. She was wearing tight, dark jeans, and a black long sleeve shirt. It was the eyes, earrings, and hair that gave her away.

"Kagura." He hissed.

"Inuyasha. It's been a long time. I was beginning to think that you were never going to show up." She sneered.

"The Director wants to see you." With that, she snapped her fingers. Suddenly, he was tightly bound. He struggled to break free, but it was useless. She looked down at him, feigning concern, before she kicked him in the temple, knocking him out.

"That's for 500 years ago." She spat venomously. She beckoned a Smoker forward. It wrapped it's tongue around the unconscious half-demon and followed after the wind sorceress, dragging him along on the ground. She pulled the feather out of her hair and threw it. She flew away, leaving the Smoker to follow her from the ground as they made their way to Headquarters.

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**I know it's short, and I apologize. The next chapter is going to be a lot of explaining, so a lot of questions will be answered. I'm just dreading the explanation (having to write it all out :/) and I just really wanted to update this weekend while I had my muse :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry for the wait. This moron hacked into the systems at school: long story short, everything on my flash drive got deleted. Sorry if this isn't up to my usual par: I think I'm getting sick, and I'm not in the best mood right now. ****L But reviews will make me happy :P**

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Kagura landed around the corner from headquarters, Mercy Hospital. She watched in disgust as a small group of Survivors tried to fight off the wave of Infected that was protecting the building. She shook her head with a chuckle and started towards the building. Once they were on the ground, she snapped her fingers. The Infected dispersed to the side of the road, and she knelt down by the man. A trickle of blood ran down the corner of his mouth, and there was a deep cut on his stomach. He looked up at her with hazy eyes, clutching the pistol in his hand as tight as he could. His eyes were fading, and she knew that he didn't have much time left to live. She pursed her lips together and felt her nails digging into the meat of her palm, drawing a tiny amount of blood to the surface.

"Help us… please!" He begged. She cocked her head to the left a little and pulled a fan out of her back pocket. He looked at her in confusion for a moment. She raised it over her head and slashed it downwards. She turned away as blood spewed up into the air and he gurgled for air. His companions looked at her in horror, and one of the women cried out in agony. She bent down and picked up his pistol. She took out the cartridge of ammo and put it in her pocket, before putting the gun in her belt. Kagura went over to the man and woman on the ground nearby and wiped the blood off of her hand onto their cheeks. The Infected howled. She turned her heel on the group and walked into the lobby of the hospital. She noticed that there were a few Survivors in the safe room, talking quietly, their aura's white with sheer terror. She stepped close to the door and listened.

"Damn it Eddy, let me go!"

"No Amanda, you can't kill him, we need him!"

"What about the others? Dan basically killed them!" A woman began sobbing.

"I did not! They were too slow, we shouldn't risk our lives for them!"

"How can you say that?" The first male voice sounded angry. Kagura smirked.

"How could you leave them to die?"

"Its not my fault that they were too slow. I told you people I'm not slowing down to save anyone."

"Why are we with you?" The second man interjected, sounding furious.

"Dan! Eddy! Amanda! Let me in, hurry!" She called, making her voice sound higher. The people behind the door gasped. She held her fan tightly and flicked it quickly, her appearance changing. She looked just like the woman outside, currently being mauled to death by Infected.

"Rebecca?"

"Hurry, there's so many of them, I won't be able to fight them all off!" She made her voice sound as pathetic and helpless as possible. She heard the door being opened. A very large, muscular man in black wind pants and a black tank top stood in the doorway, an AK-47 in his hands, pointed straight at her. His mouth fell open in shock as she ran past him into the room. He slammed the door in the horde's face and barred it. She looked at the other inhabitants of the room. The other woman was extremely thin and frail looking. She had long, waist length red hair and bright blue eyes. Her clothes were threadbare and torn, the short black dress in tatters. The man by her side was a tall Hispanic man with a short black ponytail, almost like a certain monk Kagura knew. His clothes looked brand new, the white polo with only a single bloodstain on it. There were a few small tears in the jeans, but he was in much better shape than the redhead was in. They both looked severely emaciated. She swallowed and turned to "Dan".

"Thank you." She gasped, holding a pretend stitch in her side. He nodded, his face expressionless, his brown eyes glowing with surprise and amusement.

"You alright?" The Hispanic, Eddy, asked her concernedly. She nodded.

"Yeah, I'm ok."

"Gave us a scare there… thought we lost you." Amanda murmured, shaking her head, glancing at the door.

"I'm fine, but the others…" She looked at the door helplessly. Kagura was amazed at how well she could act with these pathetic humans.

"Howard and Thomas fought hard… they just didn't fight hard enough in the end." Dan said nonchalantly. Amanda's eyes burned.

"You sick bastard, how dare you? You locked the door on them and refused to let them in, you let them die! What kind of a doctor are you?" She stepped forward, getting in his face. He didn't move, he didn't even blink. The only thing he did was reach up and brush a lock of black hair out of his eyes. She scoffed and stomped over to the other half of the safe room. Eddy looked at Kagura.

"Is it ok if you guys take first watch?"

"Yeah, no problem." She said, giving him a half smile. He nodded and walked over to the young woman, who was quietly sobbing. Kagura sat in the recliner across from the door. Dan sat in the one next to her and stared at her for a long moment.

"I'm glad you're ok." He spoke quietly so the others wouldn't overhear.

"It doesn't matter, don't worry about me." She said curtly.

"I can't help it; we're practically siblings." He grinned crookedly at her. She turned to face him, an eyebrow raised.

"Really?"

"Yeah, two people, united for a common goal… both after the same object, both after the same people…"

Kagura chuckled quietly to herself. "I wasn't sure if it was you."

"Nice to see you again Kagura." He said with a sideways grin.

She grinned too. "Nice to see you too Suikotsu.

* * *

A large Tank stumbled around the nearly silent city. He bellowed in anger, throwing nearby Infected out of his way with bone-crushing strength. He came to a stop and looked around, snorting. A tall, bulky man walked up beside him. He had a two belts crossing his chest, covered with weapons and other useful items. He also had a pair of pistol, each in a holster on his outer thigh. In addition to all of the guns, and bombs, he had two long, curved katanas holstered across his back. Where the swords crossed, a grenade launcher was strapped to his back.

"Let's get back to headquarters," Kyokotsu said, " I don't think we'll be able to find anything else of…value…here." Ginkotsu grunted in agreement and nodded. The two turned and began walking down the wide street. Off in the distance, fires burned away at the buildings still standing. The sky was dyed red from the flames, and billowing smoke made the night seem even darker than it was. In the middle of the chaos and destruction stood Mercy Hospital, in perfect condition almost. The white walls seemed to glisten compared to it's grim surroundings. The windows were all intact, except for a few near the top. The search lights on the roof were still rotating, alerting anybody with a plane that it was a rescue point. The green, neon sign was only partially lit, the circle with the cross cut out was still lit, but only the letters ER and Y were still lit. The only difference of the view now was, that now instead of a few random rooms with the lights on, the entire 13th floor was lit up. The light seemed to separate the building into two halves. The continued on their way, going to the building.

* * *

Jakotsu and Mukotsu both pushed hard against the shelf in the supermarket, knocking the bottles of juice and boxes of powdered drinks to the tiles. The two laughed and high-fived. Mukotsu ran excitedly to the cleaning products aisle, grabbing bottle frantically.

"Look at what I could do with these! I could make the greatest potions of all time!" He cheered, dancing around with a bottle of Windex in his hands. He stopped when he saw Jakotsu trying on red lipstick an aisle away. He pursed his lips and stared into the mirror, carefully examining his reflection. "Jakotsu, what are you doing?" He asked, exasperatedly. Jakotsu turned and faced him, his eyebrow raised. "Is this my color?" Mukotsu palmed his forehead and sighed.

"I don't know!" He hissed, turning his back to his flamboyant brother and started examining a bottle of bleach. He looked at the bottle of Windex with fascination. "I wonder what would happen if I mixed these two…" He grinned and put them in the backpack at his feet. Jakotsu came over and threw in a few tubes of lipstick and mascara.

"Jakotsu, why do we need these? We're supposed to be getting important supplies!"

"These are important supplies!"

"No they're not!"

"Yes they are!"

"You know what, whatever. Let's just get going." He slung the backpack on his shoulders. Jakotsu nodded and followed his brother out of the store. They heard what sounded like a rhino bellowing nearby and looked at each other with a grin.

"Ginkotsu." Jakotsu said with a laugh. "He's alive!"

"Lets go back to headquarters, maybe they're heading there." Mukotsu suggested. The two took off at a run, hurrying to meet their long lost companions.

* * *

The alarm rang shrilly, but no cops or guards would be coming to stop the two men from taking all of the money in the vault. The older man rolled his eyes as the younger one danced around with the money, cheering and whooping loudly.

"Bankotsu, come on, let's act mature here, huh?" Bankotsu glared at Renkotsu and threw the handfuls of money into the bag.

"I still don't see why we need money, I mean, everything's gone just about!" He whined. Renkotsu rolled his eyes again.

"Because the boss told us to get money, I'm not positive why, but we have to listen to him." He said, feeling like he was explaining to a child.

"Well I don't have to listen to him, he should be listening to me!" He fell back and laid down on the pile of money behind him.

"You're too cocky, just shut up and help me."

"You know what, I'm in charge here, I make the orders." Bankotsu said, getting in his older brother's face. "Come on, knock it off."

"I'm in charge!" Bankotsu insisted.

"Whatever." Renkotsu said, rolling his eyes again. He grabbed his weapon off of his back and pointed it at the large steel door ahead of them. Bankotsu grabbed his halberd, grinning. "What's in there?"

"The jeweler's supply of gems." Bankotsu slashed his weapon across the length of the door, lightening following the slash. Renkotsu shot his cannon, a ball of fire merging with the lightening and blowing the door apart. The jems shimmered even through the smoke of the blast. Renkotsu walked forward slowly, gazing in awe at the large amounts of jems. Bankotsu followed behind him.

"What's the big deal?"

"Gemstones would be more useful than paper money. The few Survivors would find it more valuable."

"That's a load of crap you liar. What's the real reason?" He glared at his partner until he turned to face him, sighing.

"The boss said he needs them for something, I'm not sure what." He turned back and picked up one of the light pink stones, weighing it in his hand.

"I wonder how many are here…"

"Did he say how much?"

"He said as much as possible.

"So what? You know what, why should we have to follow his every order, I bet we could take him if we wanted to; we could be in charge!" Bankotsu said excitedly, his eyes glowing.

"Bankotsu, cut the crap. We can't beat the boss."

"We could… come on, lets do!" Renkotsu rolled his eyes.

"Let's only take a few, like two and just get out of here." Bankotsu said with a shrug, grabbing two pink stones and tossing them haphazardly into the sack. Renkotsu shrugged and shouldered the backpack. He gestured for his younger brother to leave first. Bankotsu grinned.

"Its about time that someone realized that I should be in charge." He said, leaving the room.

"It is." Renkotsu agreed, discreetly and hurriedly stuffing his pockets with more jewels. He turned and watched his younger brother over his shoulder and left the room. "You are in charge after all."

* * *

Kagura and Suikotsu decided to stay with the Survivors, continuing to gain their trust until they heard their plan. "This…Dr. Rector caused all of this to happen. Well rumor has it that he's in this hospital, on the thirteenth floor. He's got some set-up so that the virus can't infect him like it did everyone else."

"I thought it was a vaccine that caused all of this." Kagura interrupted. Amanda rolled her eyes.

"It was, but it became airborne once most of the people had gotten it."

"Anyways…" Eddy continued. "We're going to go up to the thirteenth floor and get this guy if he is up there. We heard he's got some army or something going on…"

"What's happened to the rest of the world?" Suikotsu asked nonchalantly. Amanda shrugged.

"A few countries still stand… Madagascar, some islands, I think Britain and France… Australia."

"The more isolated countries seem to have fared better."

"Why don't they join together to get this guy?" Kagura asked.

"The way they see it, unless their country becomes Infected, it's not their problem."

"Why are there the Survivors running around like this?"

"Something in our blood has made us immune to the Infection."

"That or we just haven't been bitten or scratched." Amanda shrugged.

"You haven't been harmed yet?" Kagura asked in shock. Amanda nodded.

"Only Dan's been bitten, but he recovered fast… really fast, like it was gone the next day." She commented, looking at him strangely. Eddy began staring at him in shock too, until Kagura cleared her throat and changed the subject. She gave Suikotsu a sideways glance and noticed something she hadn't before: the earring in his right ear was really a tainted Shikkon Jewel shard.

* * *

Inuyasha woke up with a groan, holding his head. He was in a large room, laying on plush red carpet in front of a fire place. He jumped to his feet, when suddenly, he was restrained to the wall. She struggled against the wall to try and break loose before he realized that it was miasma that was holding him in place. He looked around the room frantically, Naraku's scent beginning to overcome him.

"Where are you, you coward?" He screamed, struggling. "Come on, show yourself!"

"Calm down Inuyasha, you'll hurt yourself. And goodness knows we wouldn't want that to happen… would we?" Naraku entered the room, looking just as he did 500 years ago. Inuyasha growled deep in the back of his throat and tried to break the restraints again.

"Naraku." He hissed.

"Nice to see you again Inuyasha… it's been a long time."

"What do you mean?" He asked quickly, noticing instantly that Tetsusaiga was gone from his side. Naraku saw his quick glance downward and held up the sheath with a malicious grin.

"Looking for this?"

"You're lucky I don't have it now or else you'd be dead."

"Inuyasha Inuyasha Inuyasha… it's been 500 years since we last met. Surely you must have grown smarter…"

"What do you mean?" He asked again.

"You don't know?" Naraku asked in genuine shock. "I was surprised when Kagura told me you were here… I assumed long ago that you were dead."

"Will you just tell me what you're talking about?" Inuyasha snapped.

"You really don't remember?" Naraku chuckled. "Well, I guess I could fill you in…"

"Please do." Inuyasha sighed exasperatedly, getting as comfortable against the wall as he could, waiting for the speech.

"500 years ago, you and your group vanished. Nobody knew where you went. Along with you, the few fragments of the Shikkon Jewel that you had vanished. Nobody was there to oppose me that I couldn't defeat within moments."

"So you're saying we were a challenge?"

"Anyways," Naraku continued, ignoring him. "I gained control of the world. Nobody could oppose me, no one could defeat me. I was finally invincible. I created an empire, just as I always wanted. And, I controlled the woman that that fool Onigumo loved."

"Kikyo." Inuyasha hissed. "She died long ago. I saw no point in using my powers to extend her life. I barely saw use to keep Kagura alive that long, but it seems she was useful after all."

"Well I'm sure she appreciates that."

"If she tries to turn against me again, she will share your fate."

"What fate is that?"

"When my empire was built, other demons wanted to join me. They wanted revenge on the humans that had mistreated them for centuries. I was more than happy to let them join my cause. However, some humans also wanted to join me, knowing that the pathetic order of the past was crumbling. Some began interbreeding. Soon, dirty half breeds were everywhere."

"Pot calling the kettle black." Inuyasha said with a smirk.

"Joke while you can." Naraku sneered. "The half demons are still around today, infiltrating the highest government positions for me, living among the humans… all under my rule. They humans have no idea that they're surrounded by, friends with, and even married to the creatures that they used to be mortal enemies of. You even know some of them I imagine."

"What?""Some of my agents… you know them." Naraku said with a leer.

"Who?" Inuyasha asked, his voice low.

"Ellis and Francis." Naraku replied, his grin growing bigger by the second. Inuyasha stared at his enemy for a moment before speaking again.

"That's impossible, I sense no demonic aura from them!"

"In the 1800's, I discovered a way to completely mask the half-demon's auras. You could only sense it if I wanted you to."

"Ryuukotsusei."

"Yes. That was my way of… greeting you. Now tell me, how did you vanish like that, and suddenly reappear now?""Like I'm telling you that." Inuyasha grinned. "It's not my fault that you blabbed your story to me, I'm not talking."

"Pity." He replied nonchalantly. "I would've liked to know… but I do know one thing; you haven't been hiding all this time."

"What makes you so sure."

"You would have come earlier, when I challenged you."

"You challenged me?"

"A demon's challenge, yes. Surely you know what a demon's challenge is."

"Of course. A demon challenges another demon to a duel to the death, usually over territory."

"I challenged you, many times throughout history, at least once during a reincarnation. One of them escalated into a full World War. I ordered millions of people to be killed, hoping you'd come to their rescue. But, you never did. You hid like a coward."

"What?""You were too afraid to take me on like a real demon, instead you let your human half be in control and hid for 500 years-"

"That's not true!"

"instead of fighting me like you so claim to be able to do!"

"How was I to know you challenged me when I was still in the feudal era?" Inuyasha screamed, hanging his head. "I didn't know…"

Naraku stared at the man for a long moment before turning and leaving the room. He shut the door after he turned the lights off. When Inuyasha had screamed, his demonic aura had nearly tripled. It was so strong, it disturbed him. A woman came up to him, dressed in a white T-shirt and a pair of white jeans. Her long white hair was tied back, matching her pale white face. Her black eyes contrasted greatly to her whole appearance.

"Kanna… find Kagura." He ordered. Kanna nodded, her eyes narrowed.

"Something disturbed you. He's gotten stronger." She whispered.

"Go. Now." He ordered again, turning on his heel and stalking off. He went over to a window and looked out on his city. Devastation and havoc ruled over the land, and the few Survivors would soon be dead. He heard the elevator coming up and turned. Renkotsu and Bankotsu came out, looking pleased with themselves.

"Boss, here's your Controller." Renkotsu handed him a small PDA. Naraku took it and grinned evilly.

"I think that Inuyasha's friends need some company…" He muttered to himself. He pulled up a program and began typing.

Z_SPAWN HORDE

He pressed enter and heard the Infected scream off in the distance. He smirked and put the device back into his pocket.

"Director, we got the gemstones, just like you asked." Bankotsu announced, happy to kiss up. He handed Naraku the sack. He reached in, and slowly looked up, his eyes daggers.

"Why are there only two? I specifically requested that you bring me as many as possible."

"We didn't think they were that important-"

"That's not true sir." Renkotsu interjected his brother's protests. Bankotsu looked at him hopefully, thinking he was saved. "I knew you wanted more than simply two, but my brother wouldn't hear it. I, however, knew that you wouldn't give us an order unless it was important."

Bankotsu turned and glared at his brother incredulously. "You traitor!" He whispered, furious. Renkotsu ignored his brother and walked forward, emptying his pockets into the sack. About twenty jewels fell out, sparkling in the light. Bankotsu stared at them in shock. Naraku gave Renkotsu a smile.

"Someone who actually listens to me…That's different." He turned to face Bankotsu. "You, however, are done working for me. You have ten seconds to get out of my sight before I kill you." Renkotsu looked at Naraku in shock.

"Kill him?"

"Director, that's not fair! He betrayed me!"

"Willing to betray his own brother to impress me…" Naraku said, pondering. He leered at Bankotsu for a moment. Suddenly, one of his tentacles came out of nowhere and impaled him through the chest. He gasped and looked down to his chest in disbelief. Renkotsu cried out in shock and ran to his brother's side, grabbing his by the shoulder as his legs gave out.

"Bankotsu!" He met his brother's gaze as the tentacle left his chest. Bankotsu gurgled again and tried to speak to his brother.

"I'm sorry." Renkotsu whispered. Bankotsu grinned one last time before his eyes closed for the final time. Renkotsu placed him down and took a deep breath. He turned back to Naraku. "There's one nuisance gone." He said emotionlessly. "Are you with me, or your brother?"

"I'm with you Director." Renkotsu said quietly after a moment.

"Good." Naraku said quietly. Meanwhile, on the other half of the city, the Horde that Naraku set on the Survivors had claimed a life.

* * *

**Wow, this took a long time, and I'm sorry. Writer's block, end of the year finals and exams, stress, you know, typical june stuff :/ I really am sorry, but you know, there was nothing I could do really. Alright, please review :D I'll try to update again soon :D**


	14. Chapter 14

**Ok, first, I want to apologize about how late this update was. I know, it's inexcusable. I've had a crazy time of it, a lot of things have changed, a lot has happened. I had work, and a few not so great things happened in my personal life. But I'm going to try to get back to updating somewhat regularly. Again, I'm sorry. If you have any issues with how long it took, I again am sorry, but sometimes your personal life needs more attention, especially when bad things happen. Ok, sorry to rant. Here we go :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my characters and the idea of this fic. :) **

***I get a little graphic with gore details here… sorry about that, but it is a zombie apocalypse fic so… :P***

****_Very special_ Thank You to Mic Mov, for giving me advice, inspiration, determination, and always being there for me :D Thanks a lot bud :D You'll never know how much our friendship means to me (ok, getting cheesy now :P)****

* * *

The two walked down the street, weapons at the ready, at top alert. The man looked at the young girl and felt a shiver run down his spine as he saw the powerful gun in her hand. She caught his gaze for a second. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just thinking." He replied quietly. He looked carefully around the corner. There was a small cluster of Infected by the entrance of the hotel, and a few random ones stumbling around.

"Ok, not many, but there are a few." He reported back. She nodded. "Ready?" She asked. He nodded, and they ran out onto the street, quickly removing the threat. Once all the Infected were dead, he went to go check the lobby; she guarded the door outside, picking off Infected on the rooftops.

"It's clear."

"Let's go check out the rest." In the first room, there was a man hanging from the ceiling, his eyes extended and bulging. His blue tongue was seen through his last gasp for air. Flies buzzed as loud as a jet engine it seemed, maggots crawling in his skin, in and out of his nose and ears, through his cheeks. The smell instantly overpowered her, and she ducked into the bathroom with a gag. He covered his nose and shot the rope, sending the man to the bed with a sick thud. The flies stayed in mid-air for a split second, still in the shape of a man before finding the body once more. He went in the bathroom after her.

"You alright Marilyn?" He asked quietly. She nodded slowly, her brown curls bouncing.

"I'm fine. Just…didn't expect that…" He nodded and led her out into the hallway. They continued checking rooms, collecting whatever supplies they could. They found an empty room and began stripping the room of blankets, towels, and robes.

"Anything to keep us warm." She said quietly, ripping the curtains off. She could see out onto the street, the hundreds of thousands of Infected that had taken over the city. He came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her away. "Do you want first watch?" She asked as they descended the stairs. He nodded and began barricading the steel door. "You get some sleep Marilyn."

"Alright." She laid down, but didn't close her eyes. "Do you think that things will ever go back to normal?" He stopped and turned to face her. "I think that this is the new normal."

Marilyn nodded slowly and curled up into a ball.

"Sleep child. You'll need your strength for the morning."

"Goodnight Barton." He heard the faint whisper through the dark. He smiled to himself. "Goodnight Marilyn."

* * *

Inuyasha looked around the dark room, hearing talking outside of the room. The window opened and Kagura landed in the room quietly.

"Well well well… I'm surprised he left you alive."

"Kagura." He sneered. "I'm sure he needs something from me, or else he wouldn't have." She couldn't help but smirk.

"Truth be told… I can't think of what he would want from you."

Inuyasha tested his bonds once more. "So, he sent you in here to torture me."

"No. He doesn't know I'm in here." She admitted. He looked at her in confusion.

"The Band of Seven is here."

"What?"

"Naraku found them when they were reincarnated, and recruited them to his side. They've been looting the city. I don't know his plan, but I know they all have different parts."

He was silent for a moment. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I know how Naraku thinks." She said coldly. "As soon as he doesn't need me anymore, I'm gone. I'm on thin ice right now."

"Then why are you risking talking to me?"

Kagura went over to the door and waved her fan in front of it. It glowed brightly for a moment before dimming back to normal. She went over to the window. "Because I want to see Naraku's empire come crashing down on top of him. I want to see him destroyed." She came over to him. "While you've been in hiding, or wherever you've been, there's been a rebellion group. You need to find them if you want to destroy Naraku."

"A rebellion group?"

"Find their leader. His name is… Shippoden." She waved her hand, and he fell to the ground. She turned and went back to the window. They heard someone turning the door handle, but the door refused to open. Her eyes grew wide in the dark.

"If you leave now, Naraku won't be able to catch you. I'll distract him."

He went over to the window, but stopped. "Why are you helping me?"

"KAGURA!" They heard Naraku scream. She pushed him towards the window. He could smell her fear.

"Because, I may have been created from Naraku, but I'm not anything like him. I want to be free." He met her gaze and she nodded. He leapt from the window onto a nearby roof just as Naraku burst into the room.

"Kagura!" He came over to her, his hand tightening around her throat. "Where is the half-breed?"

She choked, clawing at his hand. After a full minute of watching her struggle, he dropped her, and she fell into a heap at his feet, gasping.

"He overpowered me. I don't know how, but he broke free of the miasma. I think-"

"You pathetic liar." He growled. She stood up slowly. "You keep forgetting that I hold your life in my hands."

"No," She said, backing up, "I hold my own life." With that, she turned and leapt from the window. He watched as she fell to the street below. His lip curled as the Infected converged on her body and left the room. Kanna was sitting in the hall, her eyes wide. He strode past her without a word and went into one of the conference rooms, where the remaining members of the Band of Seven were waiting. "Find Inuyasha." He ordered furiously. "Bring him to me. Dead, or alive."

* * *

"We've gotta find him!" Kagome cried out, fighting Rochelle, trying to get to the door.

"We don't know where he went!" The woman shoved the teen back so she fell onto the sofa. "Until we do there's not much we can do."

"I bet Naraku's behind this." Miroku said quietly. Sango turned to him, puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

"Well think about it; if we're here, what happens back in the Feudal Era?"

"Nothing until we go-" Kagome froze mid sentence, running out the back door. Souta followed close behind, moving debris. He moved the fallen shed out of the way, but the well was gone. "What?" She whispered in horror. She could see the shaft, but it was filled with debris. "Can we move all of this?"

"I don't think we can." Sango said, joining her. "I don't know how Miroku and I came through, but there was one of those things over there… if we clear the well, it might only cause more to be able to get through."

"What about Shippo? Kaede? Naraku?" Kagome asked angrily. "Kagome, we have a bigger problem on our hands right now." Miroku said gently, putting his hands on her shoulders. "We have to find Inuyasha before we do anything. Alright?" She nodded slowly and let out a deep breath. Souta crouched next to her, nuzzling her leg with his head like a cat. "Where should we go?" Coach asked from the door of the house. Kagome sighed to her self and took one last look at the well.

"North." She turned to Miroku and Sango. "I sense a Sacred Jewel shard. A large one."

They looked at her in horror. "You think that Naraku's here?" Sango asked.

"I hope not…"

* * *

He watched the group leave the ruined house from a rooftop, knowing that he couldn't be spotted. He slowly returned his weapon to his sheath and turned to the street that the group was heading down. He closed his eyes, and suddenly, all the Infected below were on fire. He grinned and turned back to watch the group. He noticed with concern that Inuyasha wasn't with the group. He could sense the hanyou's aura nearby, however, and knew that he was safe. He reluctantly turned back to the larger group, his eyes glued on Kagome, Miroku, and Sango. His heart pounded harder in his chest. He heard a bellowing a few streets over, and saw a very large, and very angry Tank smashing a semi. He jumped over to a closer rooftop and grabbed his weapon. He held it out for a moment, and it glowed blue with energy. He slashed it sideways, and the Tank fell over, dead. He smirked to himself as the gang turned onto that same street, not giving the dead Tank a second look. He stood up and looked down on them.

"Be safe guys." He whispered

* * *

* * *

Inuyasha skidded to a stop on top of a building that he recognized; Kagome's school. He saw two people carefully making their way down the street. An older man, maybe in his 40s, was with a young girl, who couldn't be more than 18. He simply watched, knowing that they'd shoot first, and ask questions later. They turned onto a side street nearly devoid of Infected. Just as they went down a side street, Kagome and the others came into view. He grinned and jumped down from the rooftop. "Kagome!" He called.

The girl met his gaze. "Inuyasha!" She cried, running to him. She flung her arms around him. He held her close as the others ran to meet him. "You're alright…" She cried softly into his chest. He held her tighter.

"Keh, you don't need to cry over me." He replied, but he couldn't help the faint blush that spread on his cheeks. She nestled closer against him.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku called, joining the two. "You escaped!"

"Sort of… Kagura let me go."

"What?" Sango asked, shocked. Kagome stepped back, sharing a glance with Miroku. "Why?"

"She said she just wanted to see Naraku fall." He said quietly. The four digested this new information.

Ellis cleared his throat. "Guys? I hate to break up this reunion, but we should probably keep moving." Inuyasha froze when he heard the young man's voice and turned to face him, his fury building. "You." He whispered. Everyone else took a small step away from both the hanyou and the confused man except Francis. "And you."

"What did we do?" Ellis asked, a little scared. "You work for Naraku." Inuyasha replied, whipping out Tetsusaiga. Everyone gasped. "Francis? What the hell?"

"Ellis how could you?"

"Man you're a traitor?"

"I knew we couldn't trust you!"

"Hang on a minute!" Francis interjected. "We don't work for anybody!"

"He might've been lying Inuyasha." Kagome said quietly. He glared hard at them."You're half demons." He said lowly. Miroku looked at the two carefully. "I sense no demonic aura coming from them Inuyasha. Are you sure?"

Ellis looked at Francis for a moment, before sighing. "Ok ok, I don't know about him, but I am."

"Me too." Francis agreed.

"But that doesn't mean that we're working for the guy that tried to kill us!" He continued.

"Inuyasha, you always get mad when someone alienates you because you're a half demon." Sango said slowly. He looked at her, then back to the two.

"Alright. But I'm watching you two." He put his sword away. "And you might as well use your powers to help us out now."

Ellis grinned. "We will when we need to."

Inuyasha nodded, and the group began walking again. Zoey and Francis were talking in hushed tones, and Ellis was being interrogated by Bill. Kagome squeezed Inuyasha's hand lightly. He looked down at the girl and squeezed her hand back, refusing to let go.

"Does the name Shippoden mean anything to either of you two then?" He asked suddenly. The two shared a look. "Why?"

"A rebel alliance. Under some guy named Shippoden." Inuyasha turned to face them. "If you know anything, I suggest you spill now."

Francis groaned. "I hate stories." He lead the group inside of the school. They all sat down in a classroom. Ellis and Francis stood in the front. Souta jumped on top of the light of the room, stretching out like a cat.

"Now class, we're going to talk about the Feudal Era today…" Ellis said in a high pitched voice. Francis glared at him, and rolled his eyes.

"About 500 years ago, Naraku gained a lot of power really fast. A lot of demons joined him, afraid to be against him. They all wanted the power he had. A demon named Shippoden began to oppose him, attacking him whenever he was vulnerable. Soon, the half demons began to joining Shippoden. The demon world was divided."

"They battled for years. If one would die, the other would control the world until the other was reincarnated, and it would start all over again." Ellis started. "When Shippoden was killed, there'd be huge wars, genocides, riots and depressions. The world would be in chaos. When Naraku was killed, there'd be peace, prosperity. The demons would stop fighting. The humans would be happy. Shippoden was killed about 20 years ago."

"Has he been reincarnated?" Kagome asked. Francis nodded.

"If he survived the Infection."

"Wait a minute…" Miroku said, standing up. "Dr. Irving Rector… he started the virus, correct?"

"Yes." "DIRector? Director?" They looked at him in shock. "Shippoden told us that the Director was the one controlling the Infected… he could create more out of nothing, give supplies to Survivors, cause hordes of Infected to attack… he controlled everything." "Naraku is the Director!" Sango shouted. "We need to find Shippoden." Inuyasha said firmly. They all nodded. "Where do you think he'd be?"

"Hard to say…" Ellis said with a shrug. "Last time I saw him was before I met up with Ro, Nick and Coach in Louisiana."

"So he might not even be in the city?" Kagome said, leaning back in her seat. Francis shrugged. "Who knows."

Inuyasha stood up. "Alright, I know where Naraku is. Let's go take him on."

"Inuyasha," Kagome started. "Naraku's had 500 years to grow stronger. Do you think we could take him on?""Plus he controls all the zombies!" Rochelle added.

"It's out only option. Its better for us to attack him than for him to find us."

"We'd need more help. Maybe Kagura would help us?" Kagome tried. "She's dead." A voice replied. The women screamed, and the men raised their guns. Souta leapt down from the light fixture and growled, crouching protectively in front of the group. "Who are you?" Bill asked angrily. The man raised his hands.

"Easy friend, I mean no harm." Francis went over to Bill and pushed his gun away.

"Chill old man." He turned to Inuyasha. "Well, we found him."

"Shippoden?" Sango asked. The man stepped into the dim light. "It's good to see you guys again. It's been a long time."

The man was tall, almost as tall as Inuyasha, and heavily built. He had on a simple white tunic and a pair of black pants. He had two swords crossing across his back, and another sword in a sheath on his left hip. He had four grenades on the strap of his sword across his chest, and another weapon. Kagome stared at it for a long moment before looking up slowly. She gasped when she saw the head of bright orange hair. "A top?" She asked slowly. He nodded, his eyes twinkling.

"It was my first weapon… along with acorns and mushrooms."

"Shippoden…." She stepped forward slowly. "Shippo?"

His face split into a grin. "You haven't changed a bit Kagome." She gasped. He pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, opening one arm to let Miroku and Sango join. He looked up to meet Inuyasha's gaze after he released the three.

"Well runt, it looks like you became a pretty powerful demon after all. Who would've thought." He said with a grin. Shippo laughed. "I missed you too Yash." Ellis stepped forward. "Shippoden, it's an honor to see you again sir." He gushed. Francis nodded.

"Thanks you two. And thank you for keeping my friends safe. All of you."

"So, you've been in charge of this rebellion."

"Yes, but we've lost a lot of half demons due to this Infection." He sighed heavily. "Naraku knew what he was doing when he created this Infection."

"Why did he do this?" Coach asked.

"Probably as revenge for what we did to his colonies in Japan…Wiped out two major cities where his top researchers and weapon developers lived a few decades ago."

"Oh yeah…" Francis' eyes grew wide. "I forgot about that."

"This would be the perfect way for him to fight back; something that we can't pin on a certain someone. He's a coward."

"But Shippo, what are we going to do?" Kagome asked. The fox demon sighed.

"I'm not sure yet Kagome… we need to round up the others first thing." He looked to Francis and Ellis, who nodded. "Once we have more help, then we can come up with a plan to destroy him."

"Once and for all." Inuyasha said quietly. Kagome placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Alright. We need to get out of the city first." Shippo continued. He strode over to the window and pointed north. "There's a bridge over there. If we can make it there and get out of the city, then it'll be a clear shot to headquarters."

"So we're going to the bridge?" Coach repeated. "They blew that up! They pulled us off of it on a helicopter before they blew it up! The chopper crashed, we barely made it out before it hit the ground…but that bridge is gone."

"There are other ways to get across the bridge." Shippo said with a sly grin. The group looked at each other in confusion. "What do you mean?" Kichi asked quietly. Shippo looked at Kagome's mother for a long moment before responding.

"While many have been killed, there are still many half demons out there. If we can communicate with them, and get them to our side-"

"Naraku won't stand a chance." Inuyasha finished. Shippo nodded.

"It will be risky…." He said hesitantly. Sango shook her head. "I'm in."

"As am I." Miroku agreed.

"Man you know I'm in." Ellis whooped.

"I'm with the idiot." Francis agreed.

Rochelle looked around at the others, who all nodded their heads. "We're all in."

He smiled. "Alright. Let's head to the bridge."

* * *

**Again, I apologize that it took so freaking long, and that it was a little short. But, a new chapter won't take that long. I don't think that life could screw me over as bad as it did this summer… Please, even if you're mad at me, review. No flames though, really. No flames. I love you all, please, take me back? :P**


	15. Chapter 15

A/N:

I know. I am an absolutely horrible person, and I should just stop writing all together. I know that this was a massive hiatus, and that this is inexcusable. I can't update regularly, I know this and I don't like it, but it's how my life works. But I need to say some things.

First, we all know that real life gets in the way of writing, this is just fact. With school, sports, family, jobs, things happen. Also I've been looking back on my writings, and I've been getting ashamed. This story I'm going to finish up, maybe do another if people want (or will even bother reading any work of mine after this), and hopefully any other story will be better than this. I just broke up with my boyfriend of nearly four years too. I haven't been myself as of late, and I desperately want to change that. I've become a person that I'm not happy being. That's going to change.

Second, I had to reformat my computer, so I was off of it for a while. I don't know what happened. One day it was fine, the next day everything was screwed up. I tried to hide it, thought it was just one of those glitches that will go away after a restart, but it wasn't. Thankfully my father could fix it (Thank God for his computer skills), and everything is back to normal for the most part.

Thirdly, a really good friend of mine just died recently. Forgive me for grieving and not wanting to write. Anything that even hints at my normal routine before this hell just freaks me out. I am sorry, but he and I were pretty close. Writing a story this permeated with death spooked me.

To those of you who have been patiently waiting, thank you so much. You have no idea how much it means to me that you haven't blown up at me and gotten angry, like some people have. I've gotten some private messages that have been less than happy, and it really hurts with all that's happened. I know that I am pretty much the queen of delays, and some people probably think I'm BS-ing. You don't lie about something like this. If you don't believe me, I'm sorry, I can't help that. If you are mad at me and don't want to read my name anymore, I'm sorry. For those of you who will stick with me to the end, you have no idea how much this means. I'm not looking for pity. I just want to keep this story going and hope that people enjoy it.

A/N2:

I will probably only have a two or three more chapters of this story. BUT, I will do a sequel (or prequel) if requested. I have tentative ideas for either, so if anybody requests, I'll start brainstorming ideas for the majority. So far I'm leaning more towards a prequel myself, but really it's up to you guys. Any prequel will be a separate story, and any sequel will just be chapters after this, specifying that it's a sequel.

*I put a couple references to another story and to a television show in here, maybe someone can find it?*

**Mic, this is dedicated, as always, to you for always sticking with me, for helping me with some of the hardest times of my life, and for always giving me support. Thank you so much bud 3 **

Ok, I'll shut up now with my rant and get on with the long overdue chapter. I really hope that any lingering readers enjoy this!

* * *

Marilyn clutched the strap of her backpack tightly, the early morning chill on her back as they walked through the empty streets of the city. The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon; their long, dark shadows seeming to stretch for miles in front of them. She glanced over her shoulder, sunlight bursting through the windows of the empty, desolate buildings behind them. She sighed silently, looking to the left and to the right, the ruins of the once beautiful city around her. Readjusting her pack, she continued walking. Barton gave her a puzzled look, but she just shook her head and smiled softly.

"Reminiscing." She explained, her heartache leaking behind the strong visage that her clear blue eyes were trying to portray. He returned the smile, pretending he didn't see her grief. He walked slowly beside her, watching the young woman. She was only eighteen, still just a child, but she was so strong. After all that she had gone through these past few weeks, and she could still bring a smile to her face. Every now and then, her emotional block would falter, and he could plainly see the hurt and suffering in her heart.

"I wonder if there's another other Survivors around- besides us." She wondered aloud.

"There has to be. With all of the gunfire we've heard and supplies we've gathered, we can't be the only ones here."

"I wonder if we could find them." She said, looking at him slowly.

"It's not impossible." He answered.

"If they're not dead already."

"I doubt it. There are probably people that have survived the Infection that are more capable, and much stronger than us. If we made it this far, they must have." She nodded, looking around once more. A tall building glowed in the distance.

She pointed. "Maybe there's others there."

Barton followed her finger, a chill running through him. He blinked hard, trying to force the impending thoughts out of his head. "Do you think that we should go there?" Her voice brought him back to the present.

"Yes, that's probably a good idea." He led the way, their shadows beginning to grow shorter as the sun rose. He glanced around uneasily, seeing other shadows moving across the buildings ahead, seeming to head in the same direction.

* * *

Kagome sat on the roof of her old school and looked out upon the darkening city. The wind lightly teased her raven hair as she took a deep breath, the scent of smoke surrounding her. She could see a massive amount of Infected bodies strewn nearby, a couple of dead humans in the center of them. A couple of live Infected were currently gorging themselves on the free food. She closed her eyes, stomach churning, and just listened. The wind blew gently around her. The Infected moaned and groaned a couple of blocks away. Torrents of gunfire rang out miles away, only to be sudden cut off. She opened her eyes as she felt someone behind her. She turned to see Inuyasha standing nearby. She stood up, blushing faintly, and walked over to him.

"Are you ok Gome?"

"I'm ok… just thinking." He walked away and sat on the stop on the roof's edge that she just vacated, and didn't answer. "Yash?"

"Yeah?"

She was hesitant in answering. "Do you…" She sighed again. "Do you ever think that things will go back to normal?"

"I can't tell you that." He replied quietly. She came back and sat next to him.

"Do you think we'll ever be able to go back through the well?"

"I don't know Kagome." He said looking at her. In his eyes she saw sadness, concern, and fear; something she had never seen in his eyes before.

"Inuyasha…. You're afraid." She whispered, placing a hand on his arm. He quickly jerked his arm away.  
"I'm not afraid. I'm just worried about trying to protect you guys is all."  
"You don't have to try so hard to protect us. We are capable of defending ourselves you know."  
"Barely." Inuyasha muttered under his breath. Kagome pretended that she didn't hear him.

"Inuyasha…" She sighed sadly, resting her hand on his arm again. He glared at her. "You don't have to put on a tough face all the time you know." With that she stood up and let the door slam behind her. The clang echoed throughout the city at night, disturbing the terrible beauty of the night.

* * *

They were surrounded. The barricade was holding the Infected off for now, but Barton knew that there was no way that they would be safe for very long. Marilyn sat in the corner, shaking, desperately trying to staunch her profusely bleeding shoulder. Splotches of crimson stained the front of her white blouse. He knelt beside her and took the supplies from her shaking hands, applying firm pressure to the wound.  
"I'm so sorry…" She whispered, her eyes streaming. He shook his head.  
"It's not your fault, not your fault…" He kept repeating as he snuck a quick look at the gunshot wound. He couldn't tell where any bullet had gone, but the wound wouldn't stop bleeding. Her skin was chalky white as a stream of bright red flowed down the length of her forearm. A pair of bright blue eyes sought his own.  
"I'm going to be ok, right?" She asked with the voice of a child. "I can't die… I didn't do anything…." A shiver ran down his spine, and he nodded absently.  
"Yes child, you're gong to be fine."

"Where do you think the shot came from?" She asked quietly, wincing as he adjusted his large hand on her thin shoulder.

"A long ways off. There's no way to tell." The bleeding had barely slowed at all, but he gingerly wrapped the wound. Offering her a hand, he helped her to her feet as they faced the barricade. The young woman gulped as the Infected screamed in desire, the scent of her blood driving them into a frenzy.

"What are we going to do?"

He sighed. "We have to fight them off. They aren't just going to leave." She swallowed hard but nodded. He checked his pouch and saw that he didn't have many bullets left. Glancing over at her he saw that she was in nearly the same position. The bandage around her shoulder was already soaked, blood dripping off of her middle finger and landing on her white sandals. Her skin white, making her brown curls and red lipstick stand out vividly, almost comically. The iron links of the fence were stretched to their limits, and the wooden barricade in front of it had been built quickly. He knew it would crumble within seconds of the Infected reaching it. Marilyn stared at the Infected with a stoic face, but fear in her eyes. Tremors wracked her thin frame, and he knew that she had already lost a lot of blood. Barton closed his own eyes, tearing up behind his hot eyelids.

"Are you ready?" He asked quietly.

A moment's hesitation. "I'm ready." She replied firmly as the fence came down with a screech. Hundreds of Infected came pouring through the gap and met the wooden barricade. Before she had any time to react, he threw his arm up and quickly shot her cleanly in the middle of her forehead. She hit the ground with a thud as the barricade came down with a crash. He closed his eyes, silent tears on his cheeks as the Infected rushed towards him. He absently wiped his bloodstained hands on his pants before bringing the pistol up to his temple.  
"I'm so sorry Marilyn." He whispered. The image of the blue eyed, brown curled young woman appeared in his mind as he took a final breath and held it.

* * *

The group all looked at each other silently as the city burned behind them. Kagome felt a sickening pit in her stomach, and she knew that some of them would die in the next few days.

"You lot be careful now, you here?" Rochelle said quietly, looking at the girl with concern. Kagome nodded quickly.

"Ellis, who are you taking with you?" Shippo asked.

"Oh, uh… Ro, Louis, Bill, Coach, and Sango."

"I've got Zoey, Nick, Miroku, Inuyasha, and Kagome." Francis ticked off a finger for each member of his group.

"Sango, are you sure you'll be alright by yourself?" Miroku asked carefully. She gave him a determined smile.

"I'll be fine. It's a short distance, and I'll have Shippo and Kirara." The others exchanged hugs and quiet farewells around them.

"Be careful." He murmured, placing a quick kiss on her cheek. She blushed.

"I'll see you soon Miroku." She replied quietly. Ellis came forward and tapped her on the shoulder. She nodded followed him, giving Miroku a gentle squeeze on the shoulder as she passed him.

Inuyasha and Shippo stood a ways off from the rest of the group, watching the emotional scene. "What way are you guys going to take Yash?" Shippo asked. The other took a deep breath.

"We'll head west; stay here in the city and branch out that way a bit, maybe we can get some others to join our cause."

"We'll head towards the bridge and see if we can meet up with the main group. Then we'll head back here so we can take the tower and take down Naraku once and for all."  
For a couple of minutes the two were silent. "How do we do that?" Inuyasha asked.

Shippo chuckled to himself. "If I knew that we wouldn't be here right now. I've spent the past few centuries trying to figure that out."  
"You have no idea then?"  
"Some of us have some ideas," He answered in a low voice. "But we haven't been able to try anything."

"What if this plan doesn't work?" Inuyasha asked. "What if we can't beat him?"  
"We're all set to leave Shippoden sir." Ellis called over, his group huddled behind him. Shippo smiled down at Inuyasha wryly before going over to the people.

"Alright everyone…" Shippo started slowly. As he looked upon each face he saw fear, but he also saw courage and determination. "This is not going to be easy. Naraku controls everything, and has the ability to send anything, anywhere to try and stop us. The only thing stopping him is the fact that he can't find us." He looked to Ellis' group. "We'll be heading east, across the bridge. We might be safe from Naraku, but we'll have a major disadvantage. Many of the half demons that are unInfected have gone rouge. They've embraced their feral instincts, and cannot change back. It's going to be incredibly dangerous; there's a great chance that some of you will die." He saw Zoey flash her gaze over to Francis quickly before looking back at him. "By doing this, we can finally end the centuries of bloodshed and violence. We can bring peace back to the world." They all stared at him, enraptured by his words. "I just want to thank you all for helping with this effort. And if anything should happen, to anyone, I will personally make sure that your noble sacrifice was not in vain." He nodded again to them as they turned to their groups, murmuring. Inuyasha came to join him again.  
"Quite the speaker there runt." He smirked. Shippo grinned for a moment before his face fell  
"Inuyasha there's something I have to tell you." He avoided his friend's gaze. "When I formed this allegiance 500 years ago, I took a blood oath to never kill another demon or half demon."  
"Why would you do something that stupid?" Inuyasha groaned, rolling his eyes dramatically. Shippo glared at him.  
"You guys vanished. Nobody had any idea what had happened to you. Naraku grew incredibly powerful, and nearly every demon and half demon was under his control. The only ones I could get to my side were the ones that were fleeing. I had to promise them protection. I cannot directly kill them, but I can fight them. I can wound them. I simply cannot be the one to deliver the final blow."

"So you need us to finish the job." Inuyasha finished.  
"I can get the rest of the alliance to join us. That won't be a problem. But I've realized that Naraku and I cannot ever truly kill each other."

They stood in silence again, feeling the emotion throughout the entire group thicken. The women were crying, hugging each other.  
"Look at them all Shippo…." Inuyasha said quietly. "They all care so much." He was silent for a long moment. "Do you ever think there's something wrong with us?"

"All lives end. All hearts are broken. Caring is not an advantage Inuyasha." Shippo sighed quietly. "I discovered that a long time ago."

"What do you mean?"

Shippo crossed his arms in front of him and shivered slightly in the cooling evening air. "A couple decades ago. I was married."

"What?" Inuyasha looked at his friend in complete shock. "I don't believe it!"

"It's true." A faint smile graced his lips. "My beautiful Levana."

"When?"

"I was reincarnated in the early 1900s. I was just past twenty when I met her. You would have loved her Yash. So sweet, so innocent, would never have hurt a fly. She was tender and nurturing, and beautiful too. Coffee colored hair, eyes that burned like fire…She was everything that I had ever wanted. And she was a half demon too."

"You said 'was'…" Inuyasha replied quietly. Shippo's eyes filled with hurt.

"We got married in 1935. Had two beautiful daughters, Neta and Suki."

"What happened?"

He sighed again. "We lived in Poland…I suppose you've never heard of there actually….Well anyways, in 1939, bad things started happening in Poland. I tried to protect them, but they took my girls away… They were taking everyone of Levana's heritage away. Forcing them to live in the worst areas of the cities, or sending them to death camps….I tried as much as I could, I even paid a factory-owner to take them in and protect them."  
"So they were protected then?"  
"I thought so. I couldn't see them throughout the entire war. Japan was at war with other nations so I had stay in hiding. When it was all over I tried to reunited with them, but I couldn't find them until a two years later…. By that time, Levana had remarried and my daughters had forgotten me."

"Shippo… I'm so sorry." Inuyasha replied quietly. Shippo nodded, his gaze far away.

"I didn't try and meet with them. I could see that they were happy, I didn't want to ruin that. So I sent them a message, saying that I had been killed. I wasn't going to be selfish and make their lives miserable just so that I could be with them. I watched over them throughout their lives. That's what brought me here."

"Shippo, they were your family."

"They had already established new lives without me."

There was silence as Inuyasha digested the details of the story. "Shippo…. Who was your daughter?" He glanced in shock over at the group, where Zoey and Rochelle were quietly talking. He looked back at his friend, only to see an amused grin on his face.  
"Do you really think that either of those two could be my daughter?"

"Well-"  
"Don't be that obvious Inuyasha." Shippo replied with a laugh. Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha looked back at the group. "What I'm saying Yash, I know that you want to be there, but if something happens… it might not be best for you to come back."

He glared at his friend, feeling betrayed. "What do you mean?"  
"If something happens during this battle, and you and Kagome get separated… like I said in the beginning Inuyasha. Caring is not an advantage." With that he strode away, going to speak quietly with Ellis.

* * *

Naraku stormed down the flight of stairs. His long coat whipped around every corner and he smirked, basking in the ingenious of his newest plan. He pulled out his cell phone and opened a new application. Inuyasha and his friends appeared on two different screens. One heading west, one heading towards the bridge. He rolled his eyes as he barreled through the door and down a long hallway. It would be child's play to send enough force to finish them. There was still so much that none of them, not even the great Shippoden, knew about…

He pushed another door open and entered the darkened lab. As he flipped on the light switch, he heard a voice cry out in pain, and very rapid footsteps. He set his phone down on the counter and began entering in his password into the main computer. The voice cried out, shriller this time, as they tried to break out of their cage. The links rattled incessantly against the bars. He went over to the cage and ripped the covering off with a flourish. Hands immediately gripped the bars in front of him, and a pale white, bloodied face screamed at him. Tortured, frenzied eyes found his own and begged. Begged for either release, or blood. He rolled his eyes again.  
"You still have half of Bankotsu there…." He muttered. The creature stared at him. "Go on!" Before the words even left his mouth the creature had raced over to the half-eaten corpse and begun to eat again. Blood splattered the floor nearest to him as he rapidly ate. Naraku grinned, glancing at his phone once more.

"Be prepared Inuyasha…."

* * *

******Update: Just a week before I got this published, I had four very close family friends get into a very nasty car accident in Florida. Two were killed instantly, and the other two were very critically injured. That's four deaths I've had to deal with in the past 5 months…. Not fun. But I was close to having this finished… I'm going to be out at the funerals this weekend, so any reviews would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all again for your continued support and patience.*****


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